A GENTLEMAN'S HURRICANE

I first encountered Mind's eye with the WALKING ON H2O record. Although the knack for catchy tunes was inevitable and enjoyable, in my opinion it was all a bit too poppy and smooth. However, it was enough to spark my interest for the new album, so I checked out A GENTLEMAN'S HURRICANE. No dissappointment there! This is an absolutely fantastic album! Vibe-wise it lies somewhere between DT's SCENES FROM A MEMORY and Spock's SNOW (no coincedence these are also concept albums). It's heavier than their previous albums, but still not really metal in my opinion (which seems to scare a lot of you prog fans away for reasons I cannot fathom). Mind's Eye manage to blend catchy and easily digestible tunes with a definite prog feel and superb musicianship, but they never lose themselves in aimless displays of technical prowess (wich DT is often accused of). Although when used sparingly, this can be a positive thing if you ask me. The high point for me so far (but that seems to change with every turn in the CD player) is the haunting SEVEN DAYS. The chorus has been stuck in my mind for days, and I keep wanting to sing it out loud. The concept of the album I will not go into, as it has been explained enough by others, but suffice to say that it's a good, dark story line that adds depth to the lyrics and overall feel of the album, it feels a little like an elaborate sound track. Only problem is that it is only 45 minutes from my house to my work, and I cannot finish the whole album in a one-way trip, which bums me out for the rest of the day until I get to go home again! For those who want to check Mind's Eye out, I definitely recommend starting here. A real gem!

Although in my opinion it is opportunistic to call any album a classic or a masterpiece this quickly after release (classics take time to develop), I still give it 5 stars, as I'm pretty sure I won't be getting tired of it for quite a while yet!