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Mastermind - Excelsior

Artist:	Mastermind
Title:	Excelsior
Label:	Inside Out IOMCD 033
Length(s):	51 minutes
Year(s) of release:	1999
Month of review:	03/1999

Line up

Bill Berends - guitars
Rich Berends - drums
Jens Johansson - keyboards

Tracks

1)	On The Road By Noon	6.15
2)	The Approaching Storm	7.15
3)	Tokyo Rain	6.36
4)	The Red Hour	1.36
5)	Decide Yourself	5.23
6)	Sudden Impulse	4.59
7)	Sky Dancer	5.53
8)	When The Walls Fell	13.24

Try a sample of the album in MP3 or RealAudio

Summary

I wonder about this album. Who made the cover? (Certainly not in the line of the older ones). Again no booklet? (But surprisingly, also no singing, in which case the booklet is missed somewhat less. However, credits are harder to extract from the promo leaf.) Also, since it has been out quite long in places outside Europe, I wonder why we had to wait so long for this album to be released. But it is here.

The music

Since I reviewed Tragic Symphony, part III in the series, I have been an supporter of the music of Mastermind. Many people were not really happy with the vocals, but I didn't mind and there are some great songs on those albums (and also on his second one). However part IV was in my opinion not as good as part III and maybe Bill thought it time for a change (in accordance with his change of record company). This change entailed the dropping of the vocals and moving from the bombastic prog metal in the line of ELP to a more jazzrock based kind of progmetal. At least that is how I see it. Now one of the problems with jazzrock is that it often touches upon nothing and leads to nothing. You may think that I am leading you somewhere and I am: the first listen this album could not fail to disappoint me, but a few more listens have determined that Mastermind is still a force and a very fresh one indeed. If you want the references, you can think of Liquid Tension Experiment, but more "composed", but it will serve as an indication of the spirit of the music, that is often highly nervous and full of haste. The bombasm is still there, but certainly not as music as previous and IMO the references to ELP are gone altogether. This is already apparent in the quick On The Road To Noon in which a saxophone is kindly allowed to play its part. A nice introduction for the breathtaking The Approaching Storm which is up there with the Into The Void. The intro is slightly folky, but then the menacing keyboards set in. As Rich lets the rain beat down upon your already weary head, you have no choice, but to let the music take control. The thunder on the guitar is beyond proportion and the chaos envelopes. After such an event, everything is a let down, but quite naturally the music itself takes a step down, slipping into something more atmospheric. Quite a flowing, melodic track dominated by electric guitar. After the shortisch The Red Hour we come to the bouncy and thoroughly melodic Decide For Yourself. Sudden Impulse is a spontaneous track that bring the high-tempo all-out jazzrock back to your attention. After some accidents with the record player we come to the "marimba" of the pleasantly percussive Sky Dancer. The epic of the album is the closer When The Walls Fell. The opening is moody and somber. Then the main theme starts and I'm reminded of Tiger! Tiger! of the third album, but in a less bombastic fashion. A varied and appealing track in the dark line of Into The Void, but containing also some Spanish guitar.

Conclusion

A perfectly executed instrumental album that did not fail to surprise me in the end. Jazzrocky, metallic, but also full of variation and melody. The music makes sense is I think the greatest compliment I can make here, but the most important message to you is: play it a few times, before you have your verdict ready, because better men than I have taken a few listens to find that this is an album worthy of attention. Anyone's attention. Obviously, The Approaching Storm and When The Walls Fell are the obvious places to start.