Distorted Mind
Thin Air & Empty Shadows
7.3
Less often than not, I’m greeted by a wall when I attempt to liken one band to another. And, for the life of me, I can’t identify exactly who it is that Distorted Mind can be compared to. As far as the details are concerned, this trio often fuses doom with death metal, and Thin Air & Empty Shadows is the Americans’ debut EP. Despite the proficiency and slight quirkiness, of which both swirl continuously during the recording’s length, these guys remain unsigned. Though it’d be a stretch to label the aforesaid circumstances a “tragedy” or a “damn shame,” I will say that they’re quite unfortunate, as the disc is exhilarating in the sense that I know greater things are to follow.
The three compositions toss the EP’s length above twenty minutes, since two tracks flirt with the eight-minute mark, while the closer bounds itself to six. So, yeah, Thin Air & Empty Shadows isn’t some flimsy, lil record that concludes shortly after it begins. “A Painting of Winter’s Darkness” leads the pack into the foray with a bombastic commencement, heightened by Bozarth’s (vocals, guitars) chunky growls and McCann’s sloppy-yet-fitting drumwork. For the most part, the rhythm section could use some tightening, though the rhythms are the band’s apparent strongpoint. Matter of fact, the tempos, that these doom/death-players forge, are a catalyst for movement of all kinds (bobbing, headbanging, et al). “Frozen Reflections,” on the other hand, is different. More doom than anything, the former focuses on Bozarth’s fine growling, but then spurs the tempo in order to inadvertently achieve a Finntroll-like jig. Perhaps expectedly, “Frozen Reflections” pulls on the reigns, inserts tradeoff between solid clean vocals and growls, and then halts soon afterwards. “Division of Past,” the briefest number, starts in the same innocuous way that its predecessor does, but similarly abandons the easygoing instrumentation for darker musings. The operatic vocalizations, that riddle “Division of Past,” are probably the most glaring detractor on the whole EP. Otherwise, Distorted Mind fare well in several categories, though I advise practice to remedy the occasional shakiness.
It goes without saying that I’ve read through the group’s influences. However, I found it extraordinarily difficult to pin down any concrete sound-alikes, even though some narrowly missed falling off the edge of my tongue. Or, in this case, fingertips. Most importantly, Thin Air & Empty Shadows is evidence that Distorted Mind do indeed harbor scintillating qualities. The trio’s efficacy needs bumping up, but this EP is a solid indication of new, young talent. I encourage interested parties to traverse the applicable websites for samples, and I also encourage record companies to at least lend one ear.
