WALKING ON H20

GREAT Album...

Sahara in an Hourglass is one of the best prog-rock songs of the last couple of years.

A couple of filler songs in my opinion... but most of this album is just great.

HIGHLY recommended and I just flat out do not understand how this band isn't bigger than they are....

WOW! Every song on this damn album is amazing! Mind's Eye is now officiallyt Swedens best progressive rock band.

A must buy for lovers of modern prog and great melodies. I will bring this Cd with me to a desert Island.

Lars

Oh boy! A progressive boy band?

Hey, I didn't believe my ears at first but it's seems like Mind's Eye listened a lot of Backstreet Boys. I'm not kidding guys, many of the songs choruses could make N' Sync jealous! This is a true surprise since we don't hear a lot of pop choruses mixed with heavy guitars. And frankly, since it's the first time I witness such a curiosity, I cannot do anything but enjoying this in the car, singing out loud! Wow, am I glad I have it!

Man, this is pretty marketing, calculated stuff but at least, it's a quality one. Mind's Eye is giving all it's attention on the choruses, making them as poppish as they can, with layers of teenage vox, reminding me the great princes of teen pop . No way this is progressive metal, man. This has a clear desire to please the ears and to make you dance (or at least headbang), at least in many tracks. Top quality production with a hint of David Foster's sound. Althought the amount of audio blah blah sampling is impressive, this is going everywhere at the same time. It wants to be heavy, it wants to be sweet, it wants to impress. Crazy, I tell ya!

I will not bash this product, even if it takes the easy road on the majority of the record. At first, you could think it's taking the concept of a classroom studying the evolution theory, but it quickly changes into a modern Backstreet Boys sound with (much more) muscle on every tracks. Too bad the classroom concept got ditched so rapidly, it had a good idea going on. Anyway, great work by all means, and my pick for 2006 countdown next December!

It's one of a kind record, not a boy band per se, the band members must not feel offended by my statement! I think it's a great quality to take a good concept and mix it successfully with anot6her one; here the lightness of pop with the heavyness of rock.

But musically still generating more sophisticated choruses than Justin Timberlake on a good day!

Walking on H2O is an absolutely brilliant album! Is it "Progressive Metal"? Nope....Thank God! But it is my early pick for Album of The Year! I must confess, I have "Work Of Art" and "Waiting For The Tide", and both of those albums are disjointed, and the songs are weak! Much of those two albums is dominated by cliche' guitar work, and time signature changes just for the sake of change. The result is just a MESS. BUT.... "Walking On H2O" is rock solid from start to finish. The original guitar player has left the band which has allowed Daniel Flores to take over the writing and producing duties..and the results are flawless. The keyboard work shines...and The guitar work on this album is much more cohesive and fits the songs SO much better than the previous albums. The songwriting here is so far superior to the earlier records too. "Sahara In An Hourglass" and "Umbrellas Under The Sun" are absolutely brilliant! John Van Boyer has confused melody, harmonies, and GREAT production with being a boy band. This is anything BUT a boy band. The material is well written, the musicianship is spot on, and the production is absolutely top notch. I garantee, if their next album is in a simlar style, "Mind's Eye" will be a huge force in melodic/progressive rock!

I was hoping for a good album here- a nice name for a band, a great prog looking cover-

I was REALLY disapointed. This is not Progressive This is not Metal.

This IS very poppy-sounding, standard based rock. Threshold seems a far distant cousin to this band but Threshold knows how to right song that stick in your momory.

Nothing technical at all- nothing that I can remember or worth to remember......

The Vocals or decent- but everything else is just do FORGETABLE. Cliche' lyrics- pop driven rock.

Stay away-1.5 stars

Oh dear oh dear. Completely agree with review submitted by Drew (24/3). This is not progressive and is certainly not metal, so why is it categorised at Progmetal. How can this be put in the same genre as Dream Theater, Silent Voices (who a highly underated), Circus Maximus, Andromeda and host of other great Progmetal bands who deserve to be placed into this genre. With Mind's Eye we have a great production - no dispute. But there are keys, keys, more keys and layers of keys and vocals but where are the guitars? Where the blistering solos - keys or guitars? Where is the great technical drumming? Where are the complex time changes? etc.etc.... Pop Rock - that's what this is. Yes pleasant, but it is NOT Progmetal. Sorry to say I won't be reaching to put this on too many times in the near future.

I'm surprised this album doesn't get much attention here. It's quite unique for a progressive metal recording and is one of the best albums prog scene has given us this year. The band has evolved in many ways and with this album and they can't be called just another Dream Theater clone any more because the accent is on the songwriting and rich arangements not on dull overplaying.

Mind's Eye smartly combined rocking touch, symphonic parts, popish moments, heavy metal sound and all on a single disc. The Songs are both easy-to-get-into and progressive with no filler track. Some of my favorites are: Equally Immortal, Mrs. Claire Voyance, The Nacaza Lines, Flight Of The An.unna.ki and Poseidon Says.

If you are the type of die-hard progressive fan who strongly believes that any album not requiring at least 32 listens to "understand" simply can't be progressive, please do not bother with Mind's Eye!

If, on the other hand, you are a fan of progressive music that is melodic, well-structured and sufficiently complex to be interesting without being overly self-indulgent, I can highly recommend "Walking on H20". It's instantly appealing on first spin and has a lot of hooks, but also has enough content to make it worthy of many repeat listens - catchy, but not overly repetitive.

The overall production standard on this album is very high, and particular mention must be made of the excellent layered vocal harmonies.

I would recommend "Walking on H20" to fans of Threshold, Enchant, Sylvan, Poverty's No Crime, or Presto Ballet.

I bought this album by Mind's Eye before I knew this was categorized as prog metal. I would have bought it anyway because it sounded good in the store but this is more heavy prog to me, but ok what does it really matter ? I hadn't heard of Mind's Eye, another very fine Swedish band it appeared to be so you could say Sweden has become just about my favourite prog country by now. This is a very equable album I think because the recognizable sound of this band (mainly caused by the singer) is to be heard in every song and that is also a bit of a downside, it's all pretty much the same. On the other hand if the sound really suits you just fine, then there is no problem. Another feature is that the vocal aspect in the music is dominant in the songs because I don't detect too many instrumental solos on this album.

If there is any distinction to be made, I like the second half of the album better especially the longer tracks (Heal my Karma and Poseidon says). But as I said the rest is almost as good. And it's all in all good enough for 4 stars.

Hello everyone! This is my first review of an album here on Prog Archives.com. I hope you enjoy my short review.

I will be giving this album a review for its overall feel, level of progression and construction from start to finish. I will not be doing an individual track analysis.

This is the second latest album released by the Sweden originated progressive rock/metal band Mind's Eye. I have listened to all of their previous albums except for their first, as well as their latest album A Gentleman's Hurricane. Walking on H2O, to me, shows a vast amount of maturity from the band with their new label and a good step up from their previous albums. This level of maturity and amount of advancement in their musical style and sound - not only an evolution, but a precursor and preview to their newest album - gives high praise from me.

The construction and composition reminds me of a somewhat Dream Theater-esque feel of their second album with their debut of James Labrie, Images and Words. That is not to say that they sound the same, rather it is that the level of progression, evolution of sound, construction, and instrumental choice and arrangement feel similar. As such, again due to level of progression from their previous albums, I give this praise again in terms of compositional elements, diversity and arrangement.

The overall feel of the album is a slightly heavier, yet loftier, feeling album, with some good scores of passion mixed in there. The post-production and mastering of the album sounds much more crisp and solid than all of their previous works, and the vocal performance has taken a large leap. Again, this is a good preview of what their future album sounds like and the amount of growth - like the acceleration of a Ferrari Testarossa - does not slow down from A Work of Art, to this one, to A Gentleman's Hurricane. Musical performances also feel more polished as well and the band delivers a good performance overall.

As a static rating with no previous comparisons, I would give this album a 3.4 to a 3.5 out of five. However, taking into account the amount of progression they have made and the good sense of direction they had to get to A Gentleman's Hurricane, their effort cannot be ignored. Thus, I rate this album as a solid 4/5.

Similar to Dream Theater's progression from When Dream and Day Unite to Images and Words, this album reflects the same effort, growth, and promise. Originally, I began listening to their latest album out of curiosity based on the rating this album had on the front page of Prog Archives. I then listened to their other albums - starting from their first all the way to this one. Now, after listening to this album over four times and taking everything I have mentioned into account, I can say that this album is approved for my rating.

I hope you have enjoyed my first review! Keep an eye out for more of my reviews on Prog Archives.

Until Darkness Falls,

- Shadow -

Hey!An album that is not at all an ordinary one in this too crowded,maybee,world of prog metal bands!I followed MIND'S EYE career since their very first album edited on SENSORY and I knew since then that this band will have someting to say in today's music!Since the beginning they had a strong personality,a precise vision about what they want to do and a huuuge potential,both componistic and technical The mastermind behing the combo is the exceptional drumer DANIEL FLORES, a trully amazing musician,seriously involved in numerous projects especially as a producer,but as performer too!Anyway.WALKING ON H2O is MIND'S EYE's first album edited at the ambitious label LION MUSIC and it's pure bomb!After 3 excellent studio albums,this album marks the full maturity of the band in all their ways of expression!It's rare to have an album of more then 70 minutes and to consider it perfectly listenable from the first to the last note!Well,WALKING ON H2O proves thet this band has definitelly the full maturity and wisdom to offer a very complete and complex album,trying permanently to reinvent itself and trying also to find more modern and atractive sonic soundscapes!The specific of MIND'S EYE music is here at 100 %...superbe melodic lines...perfect choruses ...great drum and bass synchronicity...wonderful guitar solos...heavy riffs....clever interludes and overall a sensational production!This is pure prog metal,modern and catchy,interesting and atractive,agressive and melancholic in the same time,diverse and various in compositions!Yes,MIND'S EYE have their own sound and it's a pure typically MIND'S EYE sound on all albums,but literally it explodes on this album!Flores is a brilliant sound engineer too and this album is touching perfection under all aspects!Very,very inspired songs and a focused attention on compositions especially,not neglecting at all the impressive technical aspect!Undoubtedly MIND'S EYE is one of the surest EUROPEAN values in modern prog metal and this band continues to grow album after album...A GENTLEMAN'S HURRICANE is the perfect prove for what a concept album should be today!4.5 STARS, to this amazing album,because A GENTLEMAN is simply PERFECT!

Each Mind's Eye album has a mind of its own. From the cozy clearness of 2002's Work of Art to the full blown metal of 2007's Gentleman's Hurricane. Walking on H20 is in between in heaviness, speed and density. Basically, it's hard rock with huge choruses and choppy, stop-start rhythms. Unusual feature of this band that it's a project of the drummer - hence the attention to rhythm. He also provides background synths, that, although nothing special, add one more rhythmic layer.

To me, this album has a certain 80s feel to it, the bright keys and a slick, treble-y production. Also reminding of the 80s are the overlong song lengths, even though they are mostly similar in structure: introductory melody-verse-transition-pre-chorus-chorus, repeat, bridge, well you get the picture. So, even though almost every song has a strong hook - mainly in the melody introducing the verse and the chorus - 74 minutes of mid-tempo choppy rhythms is best digested in several sittings.