Sweden’s Mind’s Eye has just raised the bar to a soaring height. A Gentlemen’s Hurricane is most certainly a contender for 2007 album of the year. The band has fused together a sound that is one part prog-metal, one part modern prog-rock, and one part arena rock from the 80’s. With A Gentlemen’s Hurricane, Mind’s Eye has taken a slightly heavier turn in comparison to previous efforts while still maintaining their knack for a killer melody. This album is dark and moody, intricate and intimate, and above all totally engrossing. The band does not attempt to shock the listener with musical pyrotechnics or gimmicks.  The trio relies on crafting superior songs and sublime musicianship.

This is a concept album in which the storyline discuses an assassin’s career and subsequent emotional state as he nears the end. There have been other concept albums that deal with similar storylines - murder - (Queensryche’s Operation:Mindcrime or Frameshift’s An Absence of Empathy, for example) but A Gentlemen’s Hurricane still feels fresh and new, in part because of the superb execution by the band. The attention to detail is phenomenal yet does not sound overproduced. In fact the recording is nearly flawless. 

 

I am finding it very hard to pick out highlights – the album as a whole is one long highlight, really. After the introduction Prayer for Confession the album rocks pretty hard until the 8^th track The Hour of Need, which features gorgeous vocals from Mia Coldheart of Crucified Barbara, then picks right up where it left off. The surprisingly peaceful, folk inspired Graveyard Hands offers a brief respite from the hard hitting music before the Say Goodnight and Pandora’s Musical Box close out the album in extraordinary fashion. The only real downside is the fact that I feel I can’t listen to this in pieces. This album deserves to be absorbed all at once in order to preserve the atmosphere. I suggest eliminating outside distractions and focusing all attention on A Gentlemen’s Hurricane. Daniel Flores, Johann Niemann and Andreas Novak, and all guest musicians, have created what should now be considered a benchmark for progressive metal concept albums. I cannot recommend this album enough.