Mindcage

Review Summary: Progressive metal in the vein of early Fates Warning and Queensryche, with just enough modern flair to avoid simply being a tribute.

Progressive metal is a very hit-or-miss genre for me. It seems that for every great release there are ten that are content to engage in 70-minutes of sloppy Dream Theater fellatio. Fortunately, Florida-based Mindcage don’t have any intention of getting their lips chapped on the shaft of prog-metal wankery. In fact, if comparisons had to be made they would be to the classic prog of early Fates Warning and Queensryche, but with a heavier vibe overall and enough originality to distinguish the band from their influences.

Mindcage’s debut, Our Own Devices, is a concept album about a dystopian society where technology has smothered the arts and creativity. This, of course, leaves the world broken and oppressed – and, thus, a hero is born. This hero is a girl named Arabella Vash (voiced by Hydrogen’s Julie Westlake), and she becomes humanity’s only hope to return to a free-thinking, creative society. Operation: Mindcrime this is not, but the album mostly lives up to its grandiose ideas and influences. This is in large part due to the expressive vocals of Jeff Hignite. Hignite’s voice is steeped in the classic 80s-era Geoff Tate style, right down to the soaring highs and deeper refrains. If there is a difference between the two styles, it’s in the actual vocal phrasing and Jeff Hignite’s throatier delivery. His expressive vocalization really does help to make the (occasionally over-dramatic) storyline work.

Musically, Our Own Devices runs the gamut from upbeat and intense to solemn and mellow as the storyline demands, and it is pretty well done. Queensryche’s first two full-lengths seem to be a pretty big influence on these guys, but I can also hear some Perfect Symmetry in the busier nature of the rhythms and some of the riffs. This is combined with a more modern, heavy undercurrent that keeps the album from simply sounding like homage to the past. This conglomeration of influences allows the band to stick to a very traditional sound when a song demands it while still being able to push the intensity without it sounding like an unattached tangent.

At this point, Mindcage is a relatively unknown band, but that will probably change once Our Own Devices has been released. Our Own Devices is an excellent extension of those classic progressive metal albums that existed before Images and Words messed everything up, but without sounding like a straight-up tribute to the past. It is a song-driven concept album featuring the theatrical vocals of Jeff Hignite and backed by a collection of excellent riffs, melodies and leads. This album will almost certainly appeal to anyone into the classic sounds of Fates Warning, Queensryche and any similar artists that put the song ahead of the prog. - Stageshottz Magazine

If Judas Priest and Iron Maiden were to collaborate on a concept album, Our Own Devices by Florida’s Mindcage on Aetherwax/Kinematic Music would be the resulting soundtrack. Although the band have been around since 1996, believe it or not, Our Own Devices is the band’s first full length album. While it may have been over 15 years in the making, this stunning debut was well worth the wait.
Our Own Devices is a concept album that merges the fictional concepts of H.G. Wells and Jules Verne with melodic old school metal. It is meant to serve as part 1 of what will be a trilogy and the album introduces us to Arabella Vash, who is brought to life by the intoxicating voice of Hydrogyn’s Julie Westlake- a woman who uses the power of her dreams to change the world around her.
The album was originally released in September of 2013 and was produced by the band and engineered by the incomparable Michael Wagner who will reprise his role when the band enters his Wireworld Studios, to release a special edition of the album with bonus material later this summer.
With Jeff Hignite’s vocals oscillating somewhere between the lush pipes of Geoff Tate of Queensryche and Jimmy Brown of Deliverance, virtuosic solos that whiz by your ear like a ricocheting bullet and song structures that mimic vintage Queensryche, Fates Warning or Iron Maiden. Tracks like “For Al Mankind (The Dark Design)” and “The One Constant” are bound to enthrall 80’s progressive metal enthusiasts.
By stark contrast, title track “Our Own Devices” has a strange analog warmth that, when combined with Jeff’s incandescent vocals, is a bold and ambitious take on a classic blueprint. While tracks like “Firefly” and “Arabella’s Arc,” are quite simply put, “Mesmerising masterpieces that elevate the whole affair to another level of excellence.”
At the same time, the ambient intro of “The Human Race” is a misleading calm before the storm as the song erupts into a labyrinth of technical, progressive brilliance that showcases the powerhouse guest vocals of Julie Westlake in a duet for the ages that will surely stand the test of time.
Closer “The Serenity Sequence” is so epic and grandiose that it had to be split into two towering parts. The first of which bears a striking resemblance to lead single and video “The Human Race” while the second half is an elongated musical passage, that is utterly absorbing.
Here’s the bottom line- If you like bands like Queensryche, Fates Warning, Deliverance, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Accept or Rush, then Our Own Devices is essential listening.
Rating: 9 out of 10.
-Eric Hunker - The Front Row Report

Here’s the 411 on MINDCAGE. Hailing from Florida, this band is set to make a BIG NOISE in the world of metal. Not just progressive metal, but ALL metal. Sure, the requisite influences are easily heard in the music and vocals (early QUEENSRYCHE, FATES WARNING), and vocalist Jeff Hignite sounds a LOT like Geoff Tate (when he could still sing worth a damn) at times, but is that really a bad thing? Hell no! Formed in 1996, MINDCAGE began as the brainchild of founder and lead guitarist Dietrick Hardwick. They’ve released their debut album Our Own Devices via Kinematic Music and to be honest, I was on board after one song. Originally released last year, there is now a special edition of Our Own Devices due out this summer. This special edition will include exclusive, never-before-released live footage from the band’s headlining performance at this year’s Florida-based Comic Con event, Pensacon.

Set in a dystopian society, this is a classic tale of a hero (or in this case, heroine) named Arabella Vash who will rise against the oppressors. I mean, who doesn’t love this kind of story? And quite frankly it’s been a loooong time since I heard a concept album that didn’t make me want to jump off a building. The guitars crunch, the solos are fluid. The drum sound is crisp and clear, and the vocals soar. The production on this record is stellar, and balances all these things perfectly.

Now…the songs: I’m not gonna go into a song-by-song breakdown. Why? Because it’s a concept album, silly. I want you to get it, and read the lyrics and figure it out for yourself, THAT’S why! My favorites are definitely “Our Own Devices”, “Firefly”, “The Human Race”, “The Serenity Sequence (Renaissance Part I)” and “The Grand Restoration (Renaissance Part II)”, this last one being the one I enjoyed most. Also, the storyline isn’t too vague, and it isn’t clearly spelled out for everyone, either. You have to do a little reading. Remember the days when we couldn’t wait to do that??

Arabella is voiced by HYDROGYN’s Julie Westlake, and she is nothing short of amazing. When she and Jeff duet I swear the hair on my arms stands up every time. Hardwick also serves up a ton of killer riffs and awesome solos on a silver platter, bassist Brian Howell holds down the groove and his rhythmic partner Craig Nudo plays with precision. Again, the sound on this thing is unbelievable, especially in my Trailblazer.

In short, I found this to be an impressive debut from a band of seasoned musicians. I think MINDCAGE will gain fans not only in the prog-metal and musicians’ circles, but also in anyone who appreciates the classic works of IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST. With Our Own Devices, MINDCAGE have managed to pay homage without ripping off, or sounding cheesy, and I am definitely excited to hear this stuff live. I highly recommend this one, guys.

STANDOUT TRACKS: “Firefly”, “The Human race”, “Our Own Devices”, “Renaissance Parts I and II”

4.5 Out Of 5.0

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