Stoked I finally got the chance to cop this record. The first pressing of Excalibur sold out before I even had a chance to snatch it. It seems they didn't anticipate it to get that much attention. For sure No Echo review did help, but the truth is this music is so great the band totally deserves all the love they're getting. Second press on clear vinyl, but I am not a record nerd so I don't even care. In it for the music first and foremost. To my point, after the demo and Dead Heat split I knew Mindforce had a real chance to melt the entire hardcore scene with the debut full length album. And that is what they did.
After the short intro the meat of the record kicks off, which ends up being 20+ minutes of reckless onslaught of crossover mayhem. The song writing is excellent and the overall vibe is straight out of 80' golden era crossover. The record is well thought out and never loses its consistency. The riffing on tracks like Senseless Act or Fangs Of Time is insane and the drums and bass kill it. The vocals are of that type of made to creep into the subconscious and alter the mind. Both in substance and delivery. This dude has been blessed with one of the sickest vocals in the game right now and is putting that gift to the right use. Man, read the lyrics, some slick and clever stuff! The production is fat to death but still, this is a record for kids who like their hardcore dirty and grimy.
Like every other cool kid in 2019 I love bands blending thrash and hardcore. No doubt next to Power Trip this is the best you can get. And while Texans are leaning more and more into metal side, with Mindforce the main focus is on hardcore and that works for me. It's a great feeling when one of your most anticipated albums turns out to be just as good as your hopes for it.
Triple-B Records, 2018
