MINDSCAPE

This Japanese group was founded from the ashes of Fromage that was an 80's Japanese progressive group. In this album the music is symphonic progressive with heavy classical influences. Actually, the music is more like classical progressive. They have a violin/viola player and there are guest musicians in violin and cello as well. These instruments are also very prominent in their music creating a very classical feel. The guitarist provides some really tasty solos. Keyboards are in the background and used to create a serene atmosphere. Cinema has also a female vocalist who sings in soprano style in Japanese language. She plays the piano as well. Another interesting thing is that they use two exotic instruments bouzouki and ocarina. Now, I have to admit that these instruments don't ring a bell to me. I suspect that these are traditional Japanese instruments. The other one sounds quite much like a recorder (don't know which one of the two) and it is really nice.

My version of this album is the Belle Antique one and the song titles are in Japanese. My favourite tracks from this album are the 1st, 4th and 6th track. Apparently these tracks are called "The Corridor of the Time", "The Tropic" and "The Sea without a Shore". This album in a whole is really laid back symphonic progressive with beautiful melodies.

Conclusion: Excellent classical symphonic progressive.