''A Mind's Portrait'' is the debut
album
An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th century as individual 78 rpm records co ...
by British
progressive metal
Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad fusion music genre melding heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified guitar-driven sound of the former with the more experimental, cerebral ...
group
Aeon Zen
Aeon Zen are an English progressive metal band formed in 2008, led by founding member Rich Gray (formerly Hinks). They have been praised and heavily featured in the international music press, labelled by ''Classic Rock Magazine'' as 'a strong c ...
, first released in May 2009 with catalogue number TDR05009001CD.
The album was praised for its intricate montage of "many stylistic elements", spanning "catchy melodies, a diverse mix of songs and styles, and progressive time changes"
which "run
through the gamut of emotions".
The album's artwork was designed by Mattias Norén, who had previously undertaken work for groups such as
Outworld
Outworld may refer to:
Game
* Outworld, a fictional realm in the '' Mortal Kombat'' franchise
* ''Outworld'', a 1981 VIC-20
The VIC-20 (known as the VC-20 in Germany and the VIC-1001 in Japan) is an 8-bit home computer that was sold by Co ...
,
Evergrey
Evergrey is a Swedish progressive metal band from Gothenburg.
History
Evergrey was formed in 1995 in Gothenburg, Sweden as a progressive power metal band, in contrast to the melodic death metal that Gothenburg is known for. Since then, the ban ...
and
Into Eternity, among others.
Critical response
The album received generally favorable reviews from niche publications within the Progressive Metal scene. ''Classic Rock Magazine'' called the band 'a strong contender for best newcomer at the very, very least' after hearing the album
while ''Progression Magazine'' called it the "debut album of the year".
Elsewhere, the album was hailed as a "refreshing change" amid a stagnated field and "an album to take note of".
Stylistically, the album has been compared to others in the field, notably
Dream Theater
Track listing
Performers and album credits
*Rich Hinks – lead, rhythm and acoustic guitars, bass guitars, keyboards and programming, lead vocals on tracks 6 and 8, harsh and backing vocals, producer, mixer, artwork direction and design
*Lloyd Musto – drums, lead vocal on track 8 and backing vocals
*Elyes Bouchoucha – lead vocals on track 11
*
Andi Kravljaca – lead vocals on track 1 and 3, guitar solo on tracks 9 and 11
*Andreas Novak – lead vocals on tracks 4 and 5
*
Nils K. Rue – lead vocals on tracks 2 and 9
*Matt Shepherd – guitar solo on tracks 1 and 2
*Cristian Van Schuerbeck – keyboard solo on track 8
*Robin Springall (Repeat Performance Mastering, London, UK) – mastering
*Mattias Norén – album art
*Toby SingL Ho, Dan Towers, Perrine Perez Fuentes, Göran G. Johansson, Per Stian Johnsen – photography
*Kevin Codfert and Jorn Viggo Lofstad – technical assistance
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mind's Portrait
2009 albums
Aeon Zen albums