The Scottish progressive rock scene was once dominated by the likes of Marillion and Pallas back in the eighties, a trend continued by the less well-known but arguably way better Glasgow band Abel Ganz, who live, breathe and record some epic prog-rock albums to this day. But, such sightings are on par with the Loch Ness thing. Now, sailing fresh out of the water, come a new prog rock band for the second decade in the 21st century in the form of A Torn Mind. Their debut release – 5 tracks and 40 minutes of it – is, at first hearing, not quite as prog as you might like, but, having listened to it four times now, I realise that this is down to the vocalist. In the beginning, you don't think he fits with the seventies-esque sound of the keys and synths, electric guitars and rhythm section. Then you realise that, actually, he's got a fair decent voice and it's the rawness of the production of the vocal that put you off a bit. Then you see that there are lots of harmonies and multi-tracking on the vocal front that do actually give quite a depth and texture to the vocals. Finally, you decide that the guy's vocal does fit with the instrumental work and he's really only guilty of sounding more like an indie-rock vocalist than the vintage distinctiveness of a prog vocalist and, although a bit “dry” sounding, in conjunction with the combined attack of the instrumental work, it will do nicely.
So then, you finally sit down to listen to the album as a whole and really soak it up. Therein, you'll find several lengthy tracks which bear all the hallmarks of more prog metal than anything, powerful enough to sound positively gothic in parts, as surging synths and searing guitar riffs fly through the airwaves, the track “Edge Of The World” being a particularly fine example. The fact that the vocal is so far up in the mix compared with the instrumental work is a possible source of comment, but, by and large, the instrumental fire and textural qualities do endear themselves to the more discerning prog fan. “Titans” starts in a more balladic territory, bearing the hallmarks of bands such as Yes and Pallas but sounding more like Dream Theatre, a band with whose fans this release would go down very well indeed, since both inhabit prog and rock areas with ease, the slighty demo-y production of this being the separator. The arms-in-the-air anthem has a distinctive Scottish-ness to its vocal leads and harmonies, something that gives them an edge, while the music eventually fires up to burn in a flame of heated guitars, surging organ and crunching rhythms, before dropping back to the slower verses. “Impurity” starts with rock fire as guitars rain down and synths fly while the rhythm section lurches and crashes forward as the mighty prog-rock intro makes its presence felt. The vocals enter, again too “dry”, although the harmonies do help a tad, but the twists and turns of the arrangements and the way the song and the vocals develop do actually keep you hooked as the slower parts counterbalance the heat to perfection.
Overall, then, this is something you have to give time to develop, to breathe, like a fine wine that matures with age and becomes this thing of greatness the more you get into it – while this release does not achieve the lofty heights of greatness, it's a hell of a step in that direction and a future in prog-rock circles must surely be bright.