In Flames is a familiar name to anyone who has been thrusting around metal in the last ten years. In Flames, Dark Tranquility, Soilwork and At The Gates are among the core group of Swedish bands that created the so-called "Gothenburg sound" in the 90's. These Swedish pioneers mixed the guitar melody of Iron Maiden and the grind of Cannibal Corpse to form what is often referred to the "melodic death metal" style. Since then, many bands from different countries have followed these pioneers : Germany (Dew-Scented) or France (Lyzanxia).

Mindcrimes is the second record of the French band which follows their sophomore record Eden. Of course, the song-writing has improved a lot and the recent path opened by In Flames and/or Soilwork is palpable on Mindcrimes. Lyzanxia follows the "innovative sounds" of Reroute To Remain (In Flames), with the apparition of clear vocals too - who said this is the new trend ? Ok, I agree that the wake-up call arrives with some guttural buzz here and there (Damnesia, Black Side). The French accent of the singer is evident with the crystal clear vocals, but it doesn't hurt the listenertoo much. The best tracks are the opener Time Dealer - a classic melodic death metal song - the second track Medulla Need, My Blank Confession, Dusk - with its Black Sabbath pounding riff - and Black Side.

The guitar work - riff and rhythm section - is really impressive and the tones of melodic "Maidenish" riff flooding from everywhere is the trademark of Mindcrimes. Between you and me, this is very much in line with last Dark Tranquility album. I would say actually that the frontier between Lyzanxia and Dark Tranquility is very thin. Sometimes the French band accelerates and choose the Megadeth thrash side - Silence Code, Game Time or Mind Split - but overall, I can't say Lyzanxia innovates that much.

Don't misunderstand me : Mindcrimes has all the "necessary" and typical melodic death metal elements to be accepted by the fans of this genre. But like the true metal wave, there are too many bands out there following the same path, "killing in the egg" the surprise of the early years of the Gothenburg sound. One last word about Fredrik Nordström's production : topnotch. The sound of each instruments is clear, distinct, especially the bass sound. DreamEvil's guitarist is definitely Mr. Production these days !

To conclude, I have really appreciated the power metal feeling of Mindcrimes, the same one that exists on The Jester Race, In Flames or Damage Done, Dark Tranquility. However, where Eden had this refreshing Megadeth side, Mindcrimes suffers from the tones of Scandinavian band playing in the same league.

If you're are a fan of In Flames, Dark Tranquility, Soilwork, Raise Hell, Dew-Scented or At The Gates, check this Mindcrimes as something tells me you will like this album :)