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Mastermind - Volume One

Artist:	Mastermind
Title:	Volume One
Label:	Cyclops CYCL 037
Length(s):	56 minutes
Year(s) of release:	1996
Month of review:	06/1996

Line up

Bill Berends - guitar, midi-guitar synth, vocals, bass
Rich Berends - drums, timpani, gong and percussion
Phil Antolino - live bass and midi bass pedals
Composed by Bill Berends.

Tracks

1)	Child Of Technology	5.50
2)	On The Wings Of Mercury	3.40
3)	The Enemy Within*	4.14
4)	Tiding Of Battle	5.20
5)	A Call To Arms	5.10
6)	Long Distance Love Affair	2.55
7)	Eye Of The Storm	4.13
8)	Fanfare	4.50
9)	Reach For The Sky*	3.58
10)	One By One	3.52
11)	War Machine	10.30

Summary

Well, it's not often we see the rerelease of such a recent album. Still here it is (probably because of the success of the Mastermind III) and the unavailability of this selfreleased album. Anyway they also included a new booklet and more importantly two unreleased tracks. I already stated once that Mastermind III was a significant improvement over Masterminds earliest stuff and this puts me to the test, I'm afraid.

The music

Well, what I can I say about this album. Right off, I don't like it as much as the third one (surprise?), although the sound is already there, but much of it is in the vein of the tracks on the third one which I liked the least. The vocals, the phrasings, everything here is already present, but the variation is not that high and also lyrically it's only about war and SF.

What I'd expect from this album comes true easily: a lot of bombast there sometimes going over the top instead of staying on. kay, I admit to liking it, but one can overreact, right? The first track for instance is like a hymn, military music and a military march. At the end we even get a little side step to a more sunny tune.

The starred songs are new ones. For instance the third track is rather friendly, but still driven and certainly not less good than the other tracks.

Another track, tracks six, starts out with something like disco, but the chorus is good and the song thus makes a turn for the better.

Fanfare might be the only track called that way, but actually many of the tracks on this album remind me of fanfare with keys imitating loud trumpets.

The other bonus track is more or less basic rock and not very interesting.

The long closing track is rather manic and also quite good. As an anachronism it contains something which might be a drumsolo.

Conclusion

As a whole a nice album, but I'd recommend trying part III of the trilogy (up to now it's one) first. If you like it, you might be interested in taking a closer look at how it all came that far. Another thing is that I find the lyrics very well written to the music.