Year: 2021
Total Time: 32:46
Label: Self-Financed
This is a new release from a fresh band coming from Athens-Greece called DISSENTING MINDS. Its members are Tasos Katsos on drums and George Triantafillidis on vocals.
I will mention that this band plays extreme Heavy/Black with some Death Metal elements, moving lightly in “post” paths. While listening to “Fly In The Face Of God” the first band that came to my mind was HARAKIRI FOR THE SKY and particularly their masterpiece “Arson”. I’m not saying it is a copy of “Arson” in any case, but generally the technic and the singing lead me in that direction.
In half an hour, with none of the songs being longer than 5 minutes, DISSENTING MINDS deliver a dark concept with a key issue: manipulation of the masses, encroachment of any kind of personal freedom and the creation of a conscience which will always obey and function as a submissive instrument. I believe that it is a brave decision of the band to deal with this kind of concept, already from the first album.
Musically, the band shows some influences coming totally out of the Black Metal scene, like PARADISE LOST, ALCEST (talking about the few post moments) and some elements from the Icelandic scene. I would like to emphasize on the vocals, which are not the typical Black Metal screams and squeals, while there is no abuse done of any “clean” narrative voices. They give the sense of a hooligan-like, loud and dark enough feeling, with a mature and climactic rage, thing that helps the listener in a way to comprehend the lyrics. There are some slow parts, like in “Isolation” song, but also continuing and consecutive riffs following one another in “Arcane Shadows. In general terms, the album seems to have been worked to the full extend.
As a “virgin project” from DISSENTING MINDS, “Fly On The Face Of God” is adequately bold and well written, with a small objection regarding the placing of the vocals, which is too much to the front and many times cover the rest of the instruments, making it difficult to listen to the music themes. I cannot distinguish which musical direction they are going to follow in the future. I can see great potential on a musical and performing level and most of the songs would come out great during a live show (amen to that!). The Hellenic Underground Scene is proven through DISSENTING MINDS, to be alive and “boiling” regardless all the well-known difficulties, showing that it is a living, evolving organism. If “Fly On The Face Of God” was a movie scene, it would definitely be a scene from “Blade Runner”, the part where Batty, watching her predator trying to keep himself from falling, stands above him and says: “Quite an experience to live in fear, isn’t it? That’s what it is to be a slave”.
Rating: 6.5/10
Editor: Dimos Karadimos
Translation in English: Notis Konstantinou
Related Link: DISSENTING MINDS – Official Page
