MIND'S EYE - Waiting For The Tide (Reissue)

Summary

Lion Music
Release date: July 21, 2006

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Since signing with Lion Music back in the 2004/2005 timeframe, the label has done a great job at keeping the Progressive Rock band Mind’s Eye in the “public eye.” In 2005, they re-released what could easily be categorized as the first Mind’s Eye release in A Work Of Art. That re-release opened the door and new fans’ minds to their latest studio release (Walking On H2O), which was unveiled in January of 2006. Almost six months later, the label is now re-releasing the second Mind’s Eye album, entitled Waiting For The Tide, which was initially released in the year 2000.

To newcomers of Mind’s Eye, this re-release offers more of the same melodic, Progressive Rock that is characterized by schizophrenic tempo changes and a production and mix, while clear and sharp, that likes to occasionally dabble with sound effects, sound clips, and orchestrations. This re-release attempts to play and flow as a concept album, which the band has tinkered with on their other releases. Lyrically, Waiting For The Tide deals with actual events in the band’s life. This includes songs that center on topics like homeless people, a bad Father/Son relationship, bad repeating dreams, and a person who runs away from home. These are all topics that would benefit or be characteristic of a quality Queensrÿche or Rush release, right? As enticing as the subject matter would seem to be, the music that backs it up on this release is hit or miss, depending on one’s musical tastes.

The main problem is the uneven flow from start to finish, or the aforementioned “schizophrenic tempo changes.” When the band “rocks,” as in the stellar opening minutes of the first track “Frozen Tears” after the word “listen” is spoken, they can hold their own with the best. It’s when they turn the dial down that they might lose the attention of the less-than-patient listener. The music throughout tends to be driven more by the drums of the ever-impressive Daniel Flores, versus the heavy, thick guitars of Fredrik Grünberger. The band is typically on an up-tempo wave and grabs the listener’s attention … then they downshift and tend to allow the melodies to take control. At these junctures, they end up sounding almost like the band Toto during one of their mellow, love songs. This coupled with their time signatures do make for a distinct sound that the band has been trying to harness since A Work Of Art. When Fredrik makes his presence known, he ends up coming across rhythmically as an Ian Crichton, (Saga) and solo-wise as a Steve Lukather (Toto) sounding “full,” sharp, and powerful.

This re-release also comes bearing gifts in the form of two bonus tracks. The first bonus track being the more Progressive of the two, but grittier produced, is “Endless Passages” with Robert Forse on vocals. The other, “Spellbound,” is an instrumental track recorded by Flores and Grünberger, who were only nineteen years old at the time, and bassist Johan being a mere seventeen. It certainly is the better track of the two.

Granted the music on this disc is over six years old, the question is whether or not it’s worth another look (for current fans) or worth a buy for newcomers. The bonus tracks are a worthwhile “carrot” for established fans that might already own the original 2000 release. For newcomers, the better suggestion is to start with the re-released A Work Of Art, then venture here if that release catches your attention. It’s hard to not recommend a release by such talented musicians, it’s just that Mind’s Eye hasn’t shown that magical album yet that they are capable of producing. If this early album is any indication, they need to better separate the emotional, tender moments from the Rock moments, instead of creating a potpourri of the two delivery styles. The good news is that the band is currently working on a new release for Lion Music and fans can only hope they’ve improved on lessons learned from their younger days. Don’t lose faith in them yet!