CONSPIRACY IN MIND

This Norwegian progressive metal band with the great cover artwork can be described as a calmer version of "Nevermore". The band's influence can especially be heard in the rather mellow and faceless opener and title track "Conspiracy In Mind" and the too repetitive "Communication Sublime". Many tracks in here have a couple of good ideas but it feels as if the band wasn't courageous enough to do anything they wanted or would have been able to do. The songs repeat the same patterns in a sometimes hypnotizing but sometimes also monotonous way and are often way too long. "They Feed On Our Fear" would be an amazing song if it would be about five minutes long but ten minutes are definitely too much to keep the tension, interest and quality high in here. To be honest, some tracks get quite boring after a while like "Ocean Bed". The same riffs and vocal lines are over and over repeated and come back and back again.

The band though always convince when they use softer melodies and write emotional and dreamy power ballads such as my favourite song in here which is "The Distance" or the slightly heavier and more diversified and almost equally amazing "History Reversed" that remind me a little bit of the calmer songs of the metal icons such as "Metallica" or "Iron Maiden". The difference is that those songs are interesting and relaxing but don't have the same intense moments and the same soul as the softer tracks of the other two bands. But as this is the band's first strike and the comparison with those metal legends not quite fair, I wouldn't criticize them for that. The epic album closer "Silence Surrounds" unites the very present "Nevermore" influences with the ballad parts and would be my third highlight.

In the end, the band simply copies too many influences from "Nevermore" and writes quite repetitive and overlong tracks that don't get to the point. There are three very good tracks but on the other side four rather boring and uninspired songs that pull the balance of the album down. In the end, I can talk about a relaxing and easy to digest progressive metal record that misses some unique elements and a proper style of the band. The band doesn't vary much and sounds on a more positive term more coherent than many other progressive metal bands but I feel they took the safe way and could do much better. The album is far from being perfect but enjoyable from time to time and a must have for any fan of "Nevermore" and their music.

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