MINDBLIZZ (Promo 2005) MCD-R
I don't know how vastly this demo's been overlooked but at least I haven't read anything about or maybe I can't remember... anyway, I've missed out on something good. Well, it's never too late to mend, so it's time to lose some words about Sweden's MINDBLIZZ. This four-piece offers the listener a heavy metallic brew of doom-tinged 70's rock, with a good dose of Black Sabbath. The excellent opener "Unholy Ground" sounds like Las Cruces (soundwise) meet The Quill (vocalwise). Both guitars are playing some serious weighty riffs, while guitarist Peter Nilsson's clear and powerful vocals are very dominant, but too upfront in the entire mix. Anyway, this is a demo and therefore it's a good and rough production. It sounds as if the band had recorded all five songs in one take, except a few guitar overdubs.
MINDBLIZZ refer to early Black Sabbath, but they have interwoven a lot of '80's Metal parts too, especially the blistering guitarsolos reminding me to the period of NWOBHM. Sometimes, it's a little bit too much solo-guitarwork here, and the end of "Flowers" sounds as if this guys have recorded four of five guitars instead of just two. For my taste it's much too bombastic and my eardrums try to avoid such high and ringing guitar tones ;-). Despite of this aspect "Flowers" is another highlight here with its mellow '60's psychedelic parts or "Fire Rain", where the band have "reinforced" the song with a theme from Sabbath' "Electric Funeral". So, musically this is sometimes truly good and it would be interesting, if MINDBLIZZ get the chance to record a 7" or maybe a full-length in the future. The sound itself has some clear potential I can't deny. Wait and see!
(KK)