Mark Abbruzzese (guitar and vocals) and Keith Walsh (keys and bass synth) have known each other since kindergarten but they just recently released their debut self-titled album Mindfree. Ric Rosario, drummer joined in 2021 while CD Rios was the engineer/producer. At their core they are a rock band and I would also say they sound like a live band at least on this album. The recordings sound like they are playing a room together.
They get going with a nice romp of a song entitled “I Am The Wolf” that is an upbeat and fun song. It reminds me of a song you might want to hear on a Friday night hoping to have a good time. The band simmers it down slightly with “She Will Be'' which is a little more of a rock ballad. Bowie came to mind on this song and just in general more of a ’70s aesthetic. They continue to crush with the organ infused “Storks and Vultures” and the more lush piano led “Shoshone” which has one explosive and epic chorus. The title track “MindFree” was the first time they rock out in a prog rock style. They display their technical skills going up and down scales and changing tempo. This felt like a highlight to me. The Bowie vibes became more apparent on “Hollywood Heroes” which sounded great. I will take sometime to compliment the vocalist on his dynamic range as well as the emotion he put into singing. Another standout prog rock infused track is “MindFrei.” This is a finely produced album. As I mentioned earlier this sounds very live as if you are hearing the band in the studio performing. I personally love that quality in music which feels less and less common. The songs were well written but also felt connected by the band's signature sound which is something I always preach about in my reviews. Recommended.
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