MIND GAMES

Eternity X are back for round two, with 'Mind Games', the follow-up to their debut release, 'Zodiac'. It's a bit of an odd one really, because while certainly a step up from its mediocre and boring predecessor, which took itself way too seriously, 'Mind Games' itself, is also mediocre, boring, and takes itself way too seriously.

Musically and sonically, everything's pretty much the same here as before, though at least they didn't do another concept album based on the zodiac star signs (what the hell was any of that about anyway?). But sadly, 'Mind Games' itself, despite one or two brief moments of goodness, is a mostly lacklustre affair, with boring, introspective lyrics, and rather static guitar riffs, that just sound like they're trying to be complex for the sake of it.

Onto the positives... if they can be considered as such... 'Faith' is an alright track, though it has a God-awful intro, and bonus track 'Switchblade' isn't half-bad... though the fact that a "bonus track" is considered one of the better songs speaks volumes about this album.

It's a shame, because vocalist, band leader and songwriter Keith Sudano is clearly very passionate about what he's writing, evident especially in his vocal performances, but the music itself just isn't very interesting. And with lyrical nuggets of joy such as "Mr. Suicide - grab his hand he'll take you on the ultimate ride", it's clear that this is nothing more than a self-indulgent cheese-fest.