Mind Touch "Demo" CD
[self-released]
More melodic Swedish death metalcore from Japan that blends in against a little emo and a little crusty His Hero is Gone tinge on this incredibly brief demo. Not the most interesting thing I've heard, but there's a lot worse out there. The strengths here are a lot of frantic vocal tradeoffs between higher sneers and gruff midrange roars and melodic basslines that work their own way throughout the songs. Some of the guitar parts are a bit more creatively melodic and possess a caustic side, but there's still too much tremolo picking and typical dual guitar interaction (granted there are a lot of parts where the guitars work independently of one another). The recording is also on the choppy side. I could deal with it if the songwriting was really good, but since the songwriting is mediocre the recording acts as another blemish, basically. The rhythm section actually sounds decent, the bass especially, but the drums aren't mixed evenly and the bass needs a little more volume. The vocals are somewhat raw but do alright, so it's the guitars that pose the biggest problem. The tones are too dirty and lack density, they really need a much thicker and harder hitting texture to work in this framework. The CD-R comes in a color sleeve with minimal abstract artwork that looks pretty good, and inside are xeroxed inserts for the lyrics in both Japanese and English. The lyrics are positive and hopeful, definitely including some strange lines due to the language barrier, but still communicating the overall message. There's potential here, they've got a lot of energy in their pacing and arrangements, I just think they need to hone their craft a bit more with an emphasis on their strengths. A better recording would probably inch this one up overall, but the writing does still need work. There are some awesome parts, but the songs still lack overall impact. (5/10)
Running time - 7:11, Tracks: 2
[Notable tracks: both are alright, but neither really jump out at me]
Mind Touch - http://www.tosp.co.jp/i.asp?i=MxTnext

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