GLASS MIND

Well, after some years of hard work, Mexican four-piece combo Glass Mind released this 2017 their second full-length album "Dodecaedro", an album with a change of direction in comparison to their debut. We had been lucky enough to have some sneak- peeks of the album because three singles were previously released, actually since 2014, which is why I celebrate this new baby was released at last.

Glass Mind is nowadays an instrumental prog metal band with some obvious djent hints and an also obvious technical talent. They are very good friends so they know each other very well and we can notice it in their music. The album features 9 compositions, 5 long ones and 4 short ones, these latter tracks are like 2-minute intermissions. The running time is around 39 minutes.

I've also witnessed the band live in a couple of times and man, they are wonderful live so it is cool to know my fellow countrymen are capable of showing their talent both in studio an live. The album opens with the great "Babel", presumably their most successful single so far. This track has an oriental feeling at the beginning, later it develops a wonderful prog-metal structure with some nice changes that let us know they are pretty good composers. I like a lot the bass lines here and I am sure those guitars will captivate you.

"Caliente" is the first shorty. The sound is much softer than the opener; it is like taking a breath after the vertiginous road. It leads to "Fu", in which the djently sound appears, we can totally notice their musicianship and how easy seem to get on well with each other. There is also a nice use of keyboards that work as background. Guitars mark the changes, bass and drums complement them in a very good way.

"Húmedo" brings another short and calm passage this time with a jazzy feeling on it. It leads to the longest composition, "Inside the Whale" which has a beautiful first passage, calm and with a melotron-like that when it vanishes, marks the start of a brand new passage. Fast and powerful prog metal is brought here, and what I love is that the four musicians are equally important, I mean, all of them shine; there are no shadows here. This song is great and has different and nice changes in mood and tempo. Probably my favorite song of the album.

"Frío" is like a lullaby, a calm one-minute track made by piano. Then all of a sudden an explosion comes and we are now listening to the powerful "Detritus", a feast of technique that will surely remind you of some older international prog metal bands, in fact, this song is the perfect example that Glass Mind belongs to the prog metal realm.

"Seco" is the last of the short tracks. It has an oriental feeling just like the first song and it leads to the title track, which happens to be the last song of the album. "Dodecaedro" shows once again their quality as composers and performers, as well as the equal importance of all the instruments, so the balance is quite perfect during the whole track. I am sure fans of tech-prog-metal will love this. Kudos to Glass Mind, they have done a great job here and I hope their music reach more and more listeners in the near future.

Enjoy it!

The name of their debut album is Haunting Regrets, released in 2011, an album that features 9 compositions that make a total time of 52 minutes. Here we can appreciate the quartet's great skills as musicians, but also a fifth additional element who helped with the vocals. Some countrymen say that nowadays is a good singer what Glass Mind needs in order to gain more exposure, but some others think their current instrumental lineup does not need a voice. But well, this album opens with "Utopian Feeling", which works as a short introductory track that does not actually reflects the band's music. The true Glass Mind's sound appears on the next track, "Haunting Regrets" and I won't lie to you, because it is a double edged knife, I mean, in one hand we will listen to top notch prog metal that could be compared to the big names, but in the other hand, the music is sooo alike to those big names, so you either would love and receive them as a new interesting band, or reject them because they sound like the same you have previously discovered. I am not that keen on metal, so I choose the latter, I prefer to enjoy what they do no matter if the sound reminds me of other bands.

"Fallin Apart" starts all of a sudden and let us know that the musicians are really gifted, man, their technique is wonderful, they could be considered as virtuosos on their instruments, and I mean all of them because though the Berthier's guitars might be the first elements that catch your attention, Garduño's drumming is simply outstanding as wel as Villamor on bass. Of course, the work of Dante Díaz on the vocals is also wonderful, but I repeat, nowadays Glass Mind has focused on the instrumental side of prog metal. "Ypur Name is Silence" is the longest track, over ten minutes of powerful and fast progressive metal at its best. The first minute is a piano introduction, but then the strings and drums join and together start building up an interesting structure in which both, instrumental and vocal passages are truly enjoyable. The song is a great composition, challenging, in the pure style of prog metal but without bombastic keyboard moments.

"Crepusculus Vehementis" continues with the same style, you know, fast and virtuoso moments in which the band let us know their skills. The composition is pretty cool, and better because this time the keyboards have more presence, which is positive to me. Though I have said this is prog metal, the music Glass Mind offers might appeal to any metal fan, not only the prog ones. This instrumental track is one of my favorites from this album and I must say, the drummer's work is impressive! "I'm Still There" is a much softer track, melodic and catchier, not a ballad, but quite different from the previous ones. This might be that radio friendly metal track.

In "Survive" the power and speed return, and though there are some softer moments, mainly when the vocal appears, the song implements virtuosity through the minutes. He problem I constantly have while listening to metal albums, is that there are moments in which I feel a bit bored, and I cannot deny it happens to me with this one, but believe me, it is not personal with this band, but this is my regular attitude towards this genre. "That Weird Feeling" is a short track that contrasts with the others, because this is a soft acoustic guitar driven song, nothing more. And last we return to the power and fast sound with "Beyond Our Souls" which nicely closes the album, a track that sums up what Glass Mind offers here.

I am happy with this band, they are Mexican and am proud of it, however I cannot deny their style (at least the one shown in this debut LP) is not my favorite. But well, the album can be listened and downloaded at their bandcamp site, so please people go and enjoy it. I am now looking forward to their upcoming studio album, which I believe I will enjoy much more. My final grade, 3 stars. Enjoy it!

Any prog metal follower will agree on that. GLASS MIND's, 2011, "Haunting Regrets" works on all the rightful ways to be featured in this PA's metal division. The style's protocols are all well covered, metal ballads included, swirling hyper fast guitar soloings, furious vocals, as also "in love" lyrics, deep bottom melodic basses and an spectacular drumming by Edgar Garduño.

Now, the ugly truth. Music composition wise this band seems as in some place between becoming one hell of a performing one and finding their own personal musical idiom or to put it simply life after music school diplomas, teachings and follower's adulations (or playing by the book).

Fast as hell, as guitar players can play, your music compositions will be what listeners will remember at the end of the day, so you better deliver some super charged memorable riffs, if not the guy that comes next will steal your thunder.

These guys' masterful performances certainly put them in an upper level performance category, yet "best is the enemy of the good", and in this prog metal world if something is not really missing is ultra fast musicians, what is really needed is someone to really push it beyond its comfortable composition's protocols up to now.

Anyway and by the way, ***3 PA stars, with great expectations for a future and far more daring release.

Well, Detritus is a five-minute song in which Benjamin and Pablo Berthier on guitars, Michel Villamor on bass and Edgar Garduño on drums delights us with a carrousel of skills, energy and virtuosity. Since the very first second you will notice an explosive sound in which little by little new elements are being added. Of course, the music is never plain, they play endless notes but they manage to keep the listener entertained, waiting for new moments and surprises. Though their style totally belongs to the metal side of prog, I believe people who like symphonic prog or even alternative rock could like Glass Mind, which is why I would like to spread the world and help these talented countrymen to be listened and discovered abroad, because they deserve it (Mike Portnoy can tell it, he invited them to play at Progressive Nation At Sea. Great song!

*Now don't pay attention to my rating, because as a reviewer I have my "own rules" which don't allow me to rate releases under 20 minutes with more than 2 stars, unless it is the EP or single of my life. Enjoy it!

In this 8-minute song the band provides sounds that range from melodic and soft moments (like in the first minute) to hard and powerful passages for the likes of people who love post-metal, djent and instrumental melodic rock. I love the different changes in mood and tempo, so they let us know how good they are as composers and obviously as performers, and though the four members are equally great, what will catch your attention first is probably the sound of the guitars. Another element I like a lot is the keyboard programming, because it adds some new sounds, nuances and textures that greatly complement this song.

I invite people who love prog metal to listen to Glass Mind, a great band that played back in 2014 in the Progressive Nation at Sea festival, so go figure.

*Now don't pay attention to my rating, because as a reviewer I have my "own rules" which don't allow me to rate releases under 20 minutes with more than 2 stars, unless it is the EP or single of my life. Enjoy it!

So now I start reviewing their latest release, which is a one-song single that was launched in March of 2015, a single that I hope it will be included in a full length album. Glass Mind is an instrumental prog metal quartet, trained and talented musicians who I could see live for the first time this year, and believe me, I was speechless with their performance because their quality is impressive, and though I am not a true fan of the metal side of music, I accept what is great, and Glass Mind's music is.

'Babel' is a 6-minute instrumental track that can be listened and downloaded via Bandcamp, and that is a perfect example of Glass Mind's music and style is about so I like to recommend people to start listening to the with this song. Babel has a wonderful start that has a sort of mid-eastern sound, but then the prog metal style appears with power, with wonderful guitars that show Benjamin and Pablo Berthier's skills. The music is wonderfully complemented by Michel Villamor on bass and Edgar Gardu'o on drums. It is easy to get caught by the music, it is never boring, it always flows and shows new elements and figures while the seconds pass. It is evident that the musicians have been on this musical scene for several years, because the sound is really mature and well crafted, they cannot hide their great technique and virtuosity.

This song, and the music of Glass Mind could be loved by anyone who likes progressive metal, so please do you a favor and explore this talented band.

*Now don't pay attention to my rating, because as a reviewer I have my "own rules" which don't allow me to rate releases under 20 minutes with more than 2 stars, unless it is the EP or single of my life. Enjoy it!