Sunday 6 September 2015

Brainstorm (Mastermind, 1992)

This band is essentially based on the skills of two brothers: Rich and Bill Berends, coming from New Jersey. This long and dynamic suite comes from their second album and is pure musical fire. Divided into seven sections, it starts with a hard intro, then goes on exploring epic and heavy prog solutions, always keeping the right amount of attention to the compositional side of the band's work. So the guitars are fast & furious, the drums go on like a tropical storm, but such a high volume performance never hides nor cancels the underlying melodies.

"Brainstorm" is the opening and title track of this album.

This is what once was called heavy prog: a muscular wall of music, but the Berends brothers know that power always requires control. And they do control their performance: each second of this suite is keenly studied and placed where the big picture needs it. There are a few quieter moments, of course, but they also are full of the inner tension that is Mastermind's trademark. In short, if you like juicy and spicy prog dishes, I bet it's lunch time for you!

No comments:

Post a Comment