| The
Review |
Whenever I hear the name Mastermind…it just takes me back,
back to a time where I was rediscovering Progressive Rock
music in the mid eighties. I still have their first recording
as it was originally released, on cassette. Those were the
days, eh? Even then Mastermind were in a league of their own.
Their brand of prog was of a decidedly heavier nature. And
yet in a time of arena rock it was distinctive. There were
hardly any others taking that direction in the prog world.
And as each CD was released they took that style another step
forward. Jumping ahead over twenty years and we have the latest
offering from Mastermind, which is quaintly called a CD single/EP
however it contains forty-four minutes of music, the length
of a full vinyl release. ***
The eight-track CD has been put out in preparation of
the band’s next full length album and features a new lineup
since their last studio effort. As always there’s the brothers
Berend, Bill (guitar, synth, vocal) and Rich (drums) and then
newcomers Laura Johnson (bass, vocal), and Tracy McShane (lead
vocals). The first two tracks are actually from the band’s
next album, tentatively entitled INSOMNIA and feature keyboardist
Jens Johansson. One of the things that stands out about this
release is that it has a very intentional live feel and to
that point four of the tracks were actually recorded live
in the studio providing us with a more basic and direct Mastermind.
As the liner notes tell us this is what the band would sound
like if they were playing in your living room.***
As is always the case with a Mastermind recording, there
is an intense amount of musicianship. Bill’s guitar, in tandem
with the synths literally blazes a trail of notes over the
rumbling bass and pounding drums. Because of the live manner
of recording a lot of the material here has an almost stripped
down feel to it and yet when the band launches into the “William
Tell Overture” it works very well. Two of the songs allow
the band to stretch out a little. “Queen of Sheba” clocks
in at nine-minutes and “A Million Miles Away” is just under
eight-minutes but even in those pieces the band refrain from
overt complexity, relying instead on driving the core melody
home. And certainly the lead off title track “Broken” delivers
the goods in the melody department. It even comes in two versions,
both of which sound great.***
The overall tone of Mastermind these days, especially
when the keyboards take a backseat is very much a darker,
moody, almost gothic sound. Of course the million dollar question
of where do they fit into the current progressive rock world
will always be asked. There’s no question existing fans of
the band will thoroughly enjoy this interim release and eagerly
await the full album. I would suggest fans of any prog-metal
will find Broken something that sits easily on their CD players.
Fans of the Mastermind’s more symphonic side may want to wait
for the full album, but on the other hand this CD Single certainly
provides an interesting, almost behind the scenes look at
Mastermind “in the works.” ***
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