JOURNEY OF A ROUGH DIAMOND

Mind Key is an Italian progressive metal band.You can hear many varied influences in their music,from Dream Theater and Symphony X to bands like Deep Purple and Toto.Journey of a Rough Diamond is a fine debut,featuring complex songs with many tempo changes,astounding guitar work,great keyboard playing,and an incredible ryhthm section and soaring Labrie-esque vocals.Versatile guitarist Emanuele Colella frequently switches styles,from metal to fusion to blues,making it seem very easy.Drummer Andrea Stipa,as one reviewer of this cd has said,would do Portnoy proud.And vocalist Marco Basile has a very wide range,but has since been replaced with Aurelio Fierro.Two of the standout tracks for me are "Lord of the Flies",based on the William Golding book and the epic "Waiting for the Answer",which contains all of this groups trademarks of complexity,brilliant technique and melody.4 stars and highly recommended for prog metal fans

Mind Key first album named Journey of a rough diamond from 2004 is for me a true treasure of progressive metal, is essential listning if you want something realy strong in this field. I was knock out of my socks when i've listned first time this record last year. Excellent musicianship, great ideas, superb song writing and above all brilliant vocal parts.Mind Key is a talented young italian band who, for some reason didin't make it big 'till now, is strange because this album is among the best prog metal albums I ever heard. Clearly influenced by Dream Theater, but don't expect to be a copy/paste band, contrary this album is 100 times better than anything Dream Theater releases after Scenes from a memory. The music is very well written, with nice shifting moods between heavyer elements to a more mellower ones, great are the interplays between guitar and keys, and above all the voice of Marco Basile fits like a glove here, in this kind of music. Why I consider this album a masterpice, because is not another clone of well known prog metal bands, they manage to creat something special and very catchy. Quite rarely I have the chance to listen to such a perfect album, and surprise from a young band. All the pieces are excellent, from long ones with nice long instrumental passages to mellow ones, where the voice of Basile truly shines. Every musician is sure on his instrument, it's shown in every piece how easy this guys play. Why they didn't had the chance to make it big, I don't understand. On their offcial site is written thet they working on a new album, maybe this year will be released. Anyway this Journey of a rough diamond is a shineing star in prog metal field, highly recommend for every serios prog listner. 5 stars for this almost unknown treasure, but for sure needs a better view. Similar bands, Empty Tremor, Madsword, Dream Theater and at some point Shadow Gallery and Vanden Plas.