Review Summary: Great music again, but I have better expectations of them.
Mindwalk Blvd, with their clever blend of many rock and metal musical styles, did a very good impression on me with their first album PAINT THE SECONDS. It was not as groundbreaking as I wished it would be, but it was very, very solid. The band had a great number of very effective riffs and vocal harmonies and also showcased some of their talent (not all of it). For their age it was a pretty mature album, even if the song structures were average and a few lyrics terrible. Mindwalk Blvd entered a contest for BEST UNSIGNED BAND OF BOSTON and they won it. The price was a professional recording with John Mudrock, which I thought they didn’t need that much considering the incredible production quality of their first album.
And I was right! The sound is nothing impressive here; especially the snare drum which sounds like complete sh*t mostly on ALONE (it’s still not Lars Ulrich’s let’s-tune-this-snare-drum-to-be-the-most-annoying-thing-in-the-world-just-for-the-hell-of-it; it just overpowers everything else and is overall not pleasant to hear). The bass also takes more of a background spot in terms of volume level, but is importance is still there in the composition (thank god!). For the guitars and the vocals, there is no real problem, but it does not sound better than the last album in any away. I complain about the production, but having 3 new songs is still pleasing, you know.
Sure thing, the band doesn’t try to break any rules here either, but they aren’t repetitive. ALONE is a very effective song that has a magnificent intro and (as often with these guys) a killer bridge. The song clearly has its place between heavy songs like AWAY and PATRIOT on the last album, even if the chorus is a bit underwhelming. For the power-ballad WHAT DO YOU SAY, I’m kind of ambivalent. The music is catchy, the melodies are on spot, the lyrics are good and the solo is simply beautiful, but the voice tries to be emotional and ends up being slightly annoying.
The last song, ART CRIME, is my favorite. It starts with one hell of a fusion/progressive riff which is groovy and complex at the same time. The groove continues in a more straightforward and pleasing verse followed by a very powerful chorus (the band once again uses these wonderful vocal harmonies). After the second chorus there is the solo, which is not bad but never seems to start, even if it goes for a minute or so. After that though, there is another amazing fusion/progressive riff that leads to the chorus again. The song ends with the beginning riff, which I thought could have been used more or deformed in the song considering how good it is.
In conclusion, all that Mindwalk Blvd needs to do in the future is to write longer songs with more varied song structure. The drummer also needs to get more creative. He was alright and still is but his technical skills are a lot better than ``alright``. I can’t wait until they try something new and succeed, because they will.
