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Mastermind - Volume Two "Brainstorm"

Artist:	Mastermind
Title:	Volume Two "Brainstorm"
Label:	Cyclops CYCL 052
Length(s):	67 minutes
Year(s) of release:	1989/1991/1997
Month of review:	03/1997

Line up

Bill Berends - everything except
Rich Berends - drums and percussion

Tracks

1)	Brainstorm	21.30
2)	Firefly	3.15
3)	Nowhere In Sight	4.05
4)	Ride Of The Valkyrie	4.50
5)	Prelude	3.40
	Triumph Of The Will	17.54
6)	Aspirations	2.56
7)	Hammer Of Fate	4.40
8)	Tormented Heart	4.05
9)	Resurrection	6.13
10)	William Tell Overture	3.10
11)	Wake Up America (bonus Track)	4.04
12)	Code Of Honor	3.55

Summary

Hey Bill, what about those titles Brave New World, Go For It! and Bolero that I found on a demo tape from 1989? Okay, I didn't check that you might have used them for something else, but I was just wondering. Anyway, this album contains the albums from 1989/1991 and features one extra track, which was present on the demo tape from 1989, but not on the previous album release. I also heard that not all tracks from the previous CD release (two short ones, in fact) are not present on this album.

The music

Where most progressive albums end with the magnum opus (usually also the title track), this album opens with it (although Triumph of the Will is also quite long). In the first few minutes of this album, under the name of 1st Futility, the tone is set with loud guitars and hectic drumming. Especially one of the guitarriffs reminds me a lot of the latest incarnation of King Crimson and one is not far of the mark if one compares the music found here to the heavy side of Thrak. Still the songwriting so typical of Mastermind also shines through on this track as it does on all tracks written by Berends (William Tell Overture is of course by Rossini (also known for Marillions La Gaza Ladra and Ride of the Valkyrie by Wagner). This first track, Brainstorm, is rather philospohical and it shows from the booklet that there's relatively little singing on this album (in fact only on 1, 3, 7, 8, 11). The vocals by Berends are very typical of him: loud, open almost declamatory. The music on this track has a killing pace at times and it shows of the ability of the band, but still it's not true that everything is here just to show that ability. As I have often remarked, the energy that is released while this band is playing is enormous, but it also implies that you have to enjoy the bombast of Emerson, Lake and Palmer or for instance the hectic parts of UK to really enjoy this band. Musically however the band is not that close to either (although in some keyboard part ELP are close by), but the band also plays a melodic, intricate version of metal. Fortunately Brainstorm has a quieter part: From the Ashes that also has a very nice vocal melody. Then we get back to the same hectic and bombastic music as before and Resolution, the end part is a reprise of the first thus ending in style.

After this opus we come to a number of shorter tracks: the first of these is Firefly, which sounds very classical, like a march, but at 100 dash speed. Personally I think this track sounds rather comical, especially in the beginning. Maybe if I tell you that this sounds like Market Square Heroes from Real to Reel in double tempo, you will know approximately how this'll sound. Nowhere in Sight is a rock song and owes a little to the early seventies rock bands, but the tempo and bombast are present in case you wondered. Ride of the Valkyrie is by Wagner, whose name after all these years still reeks of Third Reich, but let's not criticize the music for the man. In fact this is a very nice "cover" that conveys much of the majesty of the music and it will not surprise you that the tempo of this track is a little higher than what we are used to. It is followed by the dark Prelude in which brother Rich Berends is allowed free reign and well, he uses it to say the least, paying little attention to the beautiful melody playing in the back.

The second opus is now at hand. Strange that the subparts of this track are separate tracks, while those of the first track are not. The short opener is typical Mastermind bombast, Hammer of Fate is a strong vocal track with the bassdrum's beats rolling to and fro. Tormented Heart is an emotional track, with softly wailing guitar. The vocal parts in the verses have a rhythm that is just a little to mellow. In Resurrection the song builds up again to a bombastic closing.

William Tell Overture is well... what is, but then quicker.

The bonus trakc Wake Up America is a vocal track that shows that Bill has little trust in the way things are going and who's in charge. A somber track in the beginning it turns "militaristic" at the end. This is done quite often by Mastermind: they make their music sound like military music with the keyboards playing the role of the trumpets and with drumming typical of that music.

We wrap up with Code of Honor that contrasts quiet keyboard/church organ with again that militaristic sound. This track is a little simple in places and I'm not too fond of it.

Conclusion

This album shows that a drummer makes a difference. Speed, energy, bombast can all be found on this album, and although not all tracks are up to the level of the titletrack, there's a lot to listen to here. Although I think this is very much progressive in the strong sense, the guitar sound is often like that much found on American metal albums by the likes of Friedman and Becker. By the way: this time it really helps to follow the advice of Bill: play it loud and be prepared to fall asleep soon after the album has finished, because drains you.