Distorted Mind – Thin Air & Empty Shadows
Self-released – PM13482 – May 2005
By Jason Jordan
Distorted Mind.
Thin Air & Empty Shadows. At first glance the band name and album title may seem abstract, but there’s plenty of explanation to go around once the liner notes are unfolded and consumed. In any case, what they put forth with this EP is twenty minutes of solid American metal. Who do they sound like? That’s a good question, but I haven’t the slightest. Bafflingly, every time I reach for a comparison I get stumped. Oh well, fuck it. All you need to know is that this is an impressive debut.
I won’t argue with those who claim that
Distorted Mind are kind of generic – they surely aren’t pioneers – though I will say that there are several components worth noting. “A Painting of Winter’s Darkness” escorts us into the EP with grace, quickly eschews its roots, and then turns up the distortion to eleven. Bozarth’s growling lunges with confidence as the tempo hops along excitedly. However, the composition is neither immaculate nor flawless. While the production is out of this world (considering this is the self-financed effort of an unsigned band), the drumming is at times clumsily iterated. Nevertheless, McCann’s chops shine through due to his tasteful accompaniment; the guitars mesh with the drums, complementing one another again and again. “Frozen Reflections,” conversely, lets doom run amok and is slower than its predecessor. After about two minutes, though,
Distorted Mind give the tempo a jolt, which momentarily transforms “Frozen Reflections” into a jig as opposed to a dirge. Clean vocals share the mic during this number, too, and provide respite from the growling. “Division of Past” bats clean-up for
Thin Air & Empty Shadows, and almost feels folkish. The clean vocals within “Division of Past” are to be disdained, however, unlike the ones that played a cameo in “Frozen Reflections.”
Overall, the band has a sturdy EP. The three songs, while not groundbreaking, contain a gamut of inviting grooves, and
Thin Air & Empty Shadows looks and sounds like a full-on release. Their apparent regard for professionalism should carry them a long way. You’ll be reading more about
Distorted Mind in the future, because now you’re gonna read their Unsigned Spotlight, right?
7.5/10
UltimateMetal’s Unsigned Spotlight with Distorted Mind
Official Distorted Mind Forum
Official Distorted Mind Website
