THEATRE OF THE MIND

Debut of Mystery, which more than a band is the personal project of Michel St. P're, who on this album is mainly in charge of the guitars, apart from composing most of the songs.

In terms of style, Theater of the Mind presents us with a group quite anchored in the AOR sound of the 80s, some scraps of metal from the 90s in the Savatage style, but that also leaves us some influences from the 70s such as The Inner Journey, which It sounds a lot like Deep Purple, and Black Roses, with some snippets of Jethro Tull.

The pity is that because of its retrograde style, old-fashioned keyboards, and a production that's not very brilliant either, this full-length debut from Mystery sounds a bit dated nowadays.

However, if you are fond of 80s AOR bands or 90s Neo-Prog bands in the vein of Arena's Songs from the Lion's Cage or the early Everon records, you will probably enjoy Theater of the Mind.

Although it is better that you do not expect anything too spectacular!

Best songs: Black Roses (the most complex and progressive composition on the album), In My Dreams (I'm not very fond of ballads, but this one is very good) and The Inner Journey (Part II) (I love the Pendragon charm it gives off, and the bass melodies during the verses)

My Rating: **