Italian AOR band Mindfeels have released their second album — after almost nine years. That’s a seriously long wait, isn’t it?
Their debut was called XXenty and it saw the light of day in 2017.
The record with its ,,halford-flavoured“ title 2WO delivers everything fans of the genre expect. Melodic riffs, stomping drums, great vocals, a hard rock sound, dominant keyboards and pop melodies that range from slightly to pretty badly worn out.
AOR is the one style that never developed, and that’s exactly why it died back in the eighties. Because it ages fast. Its chord progressions are set in stone. There’s nothing new left to find in them. And this band hasn’t found it either.
2WO
Don’t get me wrong. This is an excellent effort. Easy on the ear, fantastically played and fantastically recorded. The singer’s outstanding performance is what ties the whole thing together. But unless you’re a hundred-percent devotee of this kind of music, you’ll be going back to the classics — Survivor, Journey, Foreigner — or to the more modern Giant.
We open with an interesting intro, and right after it Mindfeels lay down almost every card they’re holding. The opening single We Will Make It is hugely predictable from the very first bars. Still, it works — perfect for a drive, for cooking or for a workout.
Fading Lights freshens things up with a well-judged blues riff and a shuffle groove. Both come back in every chorus, which is a plus. Again The Wind deserves a mention too. Here they copy Toto to perfection. A nice step out of the usual routine. They go for the same thing on Passenger — my personal favourite.
Right behind it sits the penultimate Run Away. Yes, it carries every one of the style’s flaws, but it also has real drive and a pop hookiness that isn’t over-sweetened.
Final words
For AOR believers this is probably a must. For me it’s no longer enough, and that complete lack of development has to be made up for by first-rate songwriting. And that’s exactly what’s missing here. The band plays it safe all the way. And safe, sooner or later, starts to get boring.
Lineup:
- Davide Gilardino – vocals
- Luca Carlomagno – guitars, keyboards
- Roberto Barazzotto – bass
- Italo Graziana – drums, backing vocals, keyboards
Guests:
- Michael Kratz – vocals on The Other Side Of You
- Kasper Viinberg – vocals, keyboards and percussion on The Other Side Of You
- Aldo Bulgheroni – keyboard solo on Passengers
Tracklist:
- Out Of Spin
- We Will Make It
- Fading Lights
- Again In The Wind
- Something New
- Flying Away From This World
- Here With Me
- The Other Side Of You
- Passengers
- Dreamland
- You Can’t Let It Go
- Run Away
- The Wait
Release year: 2026
Label: Burning Minds Music Group
YouTube preview:
Links:
https://www.facebook.com/Mindfeelsmusic/
https://www.facebook.com/artofmelodymusic/
http://mindfeelsmusic.com/
http://www.burningmindsgroup.com/art-of-melody-music/
Rating: 4/6
