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Mindsnare are a brutal Death Metal band from Italy. Yeah, you read that right. For once an Italian band that doesn't worship Rhapsody and Dream Theater, but rather Vader and Deicide.

Now this ain't too bad, but it is a pretty severe ripoff. This sounds a whole lot like Deicide's first CD – and I mean a whole lot. The opening of "Reborn From My Death" sounds exactly like the opening of "Dead By Dawn", and the ripoff-riffery does not stop there. That's not to say this isn't a decent listen, but there is nothing to really recommend it. I mean we open with a one-minute keyboard 'intro' and then segue into a song called "Blood Of Christ". I cannot think of a more cliché way to open a Death Metal album. Now things actually improve after that, with some nice brutal riffery and some actual dynamic that gives the songs a little identity.

The production is so-so, not bad, but a little flat. The drum sound is especially anemic for a Death band, but the mix is well-done, so the instruments gel together. The vocals are a weak point here, as they sound – all joking aside – like cookie monster. They are not really distracting, but this band shows potential, and they could do better in the vocal department. The cover art is easily the worst part about the whole package, as it makes this look like a Hardcore album or something. I actually put off listening to this because the cover looked so awful, not good.

So if you like gnarly underground Death Metal, this is worth a look. Mindsnare are pretty damned generic, but they are also pretty heavy and at least seem to know how to play their instruments. They won't blow anybody away, but for what they are, Mindsnare are pretty good.