The band looks and acts Goth, but the website says Melodic and it sounds Power to me. Interesting that they’re playing this music with that image and I’d be interested to see what feedback they get with a larger audience. And that’s where I come in—trying to get them the attention to give them the larger audience.

The they in question is MYNDKILL, a young Floridian band that bucks the trend by being from Florida and not being a Death Metal group or ICED EARTH. Actually, they sound like nothing so much as FATIMA HILL (at least “Valhalla,” I hear “Aion” by more Avantgarde) with a vague NIGHTWISH vibe, which is inevitable when dealing with a female-fronted Power Metal band. That’s right, Abby VanCamp provides the lead vocals and I have to say that she sound pretty good. A good bit of the time she’s blazing her own trail by going between trained and more emotional styles, but there are definitely instances where she sounds like Tarja Turunen (see: “All My Sins”), though not to the same degree.

Of course, when dealing with a female-fronted Power Metal band it’s important to keep in mind there’s an entire group behind said female and they too must be addressed. Said group of musicians is competent, though they don’t often stick out. There’s a male vocalist, Joey V., on some of the tracks (notably “Burn Me Eternal”), but he’s so far in the background I can barely hear him. Guitarists Anthony and Joey Tangredi are often game for solos, which is always nice to hear. It’s the production, unfortunately, which really detracts from the album. The guitars suffer, sure, but it’s really VanCamp’s soprano and Joey V.’s performance that come out the worst for wear. I know it’s a self production, so I’m eager to hear what will happen if MYNDKILL gets label support.

Oh yeah, it’s also a concept album, revolving (if I got it right) around a female sprite/nymph/dryad/fairy or something being corrupted by an evil entity. Nifty, but I’m beginning to get tired of narration not provided by Lord Byron. Anyhow, for now MYNDKILL gets a mild recommendation while recognizing that they’ve got a lot of potential; I’m willing to wait for them to realize it. (Online June 15, 2006)