ACUTE MIND - ST (2010)

ACUTE MIND is the latest band of the Polish invasion, within the progressive / melodic hard rock world.
Their self titled debut contains a variety of moods in each song. Some aggressive, some ballads but all very, very melodic.
In today's market, a 41 minute album is on the short side but I have to say it's an amazing 41 minutes.
I don't think the band should have pushed for more. They seem to care more about quality than quantity, which I wished more bands did.

The songs are short, accessible and pleasant to listen. The band composes them with care and not trying to out do each other. They are a collective not a bunch of soloists.
Everything is done tastefully and never takes anything away from the song.

"Grief And Pain" opens with urgency, an uptempo with some modern vibe but it's almost a hard melodic rocker in the euro style.
One of the highlights of this album is without a doubt "Misery", which starts off in a very atmospheric way and leads into a ballad. Very well done and moving song that has a spiritual vibe about it. In a perfect world, this could be a lead single.

"Sweet Smell Of Success" is one of the more progressive tracks on this album. It's powerful yet not in your face within the duration song. A perfect representation of this band's melodic style. Very catchy.
"Faces" is the only instrumental on the album. This track showcases the bands talents, again no one is stepping on each others toes. This is one of the best instrumentals I've heard recently.
"Bonds Of Fear" is an awesome song. On one hand, there's the tight instrumentation with some strong bursts of hard rock spaced out during the song. On the other hand, the vocals are so emotional here. There's a sense of controlled power that captures the listener's attention.


ACUTE MIND is a pleasant surprise, entertaining, well written and perfectly produced.
They're a stand-out within the Polish movement and Europe scene, because they don't try to imitate or emulate the current set of bands.
ACUTE MIND has a very distinctive style, with prog elements yes, but very melodic, sounding several times like an european melodic rock band.
Very Good.


01. Grief And Pain
02. Garden
03. Misery
04. Sweet Smell Of Success
05. Faces
06. Bad Incitements
07. Bonds Of Fear
08. Prophecy


Marek Majewski - vocals
Arek Piskorek - guitar, backing vocals
Paweł Ciuraj - guitars
Dorota Turkiewicz - keyboards
Wojtek Rowicki - bass
Darek Hanaj - drums & loops






www.acutemind.pl
IF YOU LIKE IT, BUY IT!