Customer Reviews

Machines of Mental Design

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4 star:		(3)
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2 star:		(1)
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4.5 stars. I have always been a fan of bands who are musically ambitious, as opposed to the purely financially ambitious groups you see advertising their new albums on television. "Machines of Mental Design" is a Sci-fi epic Power Metal extravaganza with touches of Progressive Metal whereas return visits garner more and more appreciation for what this band has accomplished. My only negative, if it can be called that, is that there are many songs with a similar feel to them; but seeing as this is a concept album that takes place in a futuristic society tying the songs together sonically is reasonable. So my complaint is a minor complaint. As good as the music is, the production sound is outstanding! For instance, there is a section between songs where, as the heroine of the story walks into an elevator, on the speakers of the TriOpticon establishment the previous song plays as a happy jingle until a bell rings, the doors open, and the next song begins muffled by the doors until they open and the music blasts forth. I remember that I smiled when I heard that little slice of creativity for the first time. There is a lot of excellent guitar work throughout and an accomplished lead vocalist that fits the prototypical mold of a good Power Metal singer. This album should be taken as a whole, as it should be experienced, for the concept is interesting and the flow of the story is thoughtfully crafted. This is energetic, intelligent songcraft with superb production. Running time: (61:27)

ON WHAT IS TO COME:

1. LOGGING ON

2. FACELESS SOCIETY

3. THE RISE OF TRIOPTICON

ON A NEW ERA:

4. MORE THAN MAN

5. TRIOPTICON

6. MACHINES OF MENTAL DESIGN

A SNAKE IN PARADISE:

7. PUPPETS OF THE MAINFRAME

8. WAR WITHIN

9. ESCAPING TIME

10. A SECRET REVEALED

WHAT IS THE END?:

11. POINT OF NO RETURN

12. INTERVENTION FROM BEYOND

13. THE JOURNEY

I really like this CD. It's sort of a cross between Heavy Metal and Power Metal. It's melodic but heavy. The singer is not your typical Power Metal high hitter. He sings high but is more of a screamer like Tyrant Conklin or the guy from Jacob's Dream.

This album is a concept about some kind of futuristic corporatation. Kind of has a MATRIX feel.

Songwriting is very good and overall the band does a well above average job of sounding unique. I guess this is sort of a cult album in that it is far better than the little fanfair it was released to.

The Guardians of Time hail from Norway. The melodies, time changes, long instrumental passages, even the cover art (see Somewhere in Time) of this 2004 release remind me of Iron Maiden. Their guitarist Paul Olsen also cites Judas Priest and Helloween as influences and I would agree. These comparisons are simply for reference; I certainly would not call the Guardians a Maiden clone.

This is a concept album with a sci-fi story set in the Paris of the late twenty-first century, although you'd never know it without reading the liner notes. As with Iron Savior's works, e.g., Condition Red, I didn't find it necessary to follow the story in order to enjoy the CD.

I would describe the music as heavy but melodic speed metal, heavier than many so-called power metal bands. The vocals are clean, powerful, and tend to be in the mid-range, with occasional forays into the upper registers.

Highlights include the tracks "Faceless Society" (#2), "The Rise of Triopticon" (#3), "Triopticon" (#5), and the heavy ballad "Puppets of the Mainframe" (#7). At this writing, you can hear the songs "Faceless Society" and "Intervention from Beyond" on Paul Olsen's MySpace page.

Fans of metal (heavy, power, thrash, and/or speed) should check out this album.

This album is not that bad but it's definately not that great. There are a few tracks that are average and a good bit that are horrible. I've heard worst in my days but this CD is not worth buying.