Take note all young bands – THIS is the way to pay homage to those you admire. In the same way that, say, Pennywise took the mould of Bad Religion and made it their own (almost universal use of double-time, socio-political consciousness, big shorts) My Mind's Weapon can be seen to take bits of Eden Maine, Comeback Kid and even a hint of Black Flag in the delivery – not vocal similiarities, but sheer balls-out passion – and actually bring enough of their own input to make this demo pretty darn impressive.
Even though they've got the techniques peddled by every support band from Devon to Dundee, like the quiet/loud dynamic, fairly pretentious song titles (um...'Lucky Like Kokura' or '959 Goodbyes', anyone?), throat-raping screams and fingerpoint-inducing anthemic choruses, MMW are just blisteringly good at what they do. The breakneck-pace of opener 'Lucky Like Kokura' is pure adrenalised viciousness, characterised by sledgehammer guitars and an impressive vocal range and momentum, is only slightly lost with the superfluous-yet-vaguely-pretty intro to '959 Goodbyes', but 'The Forgotten' turns everything up to a squealing eleven. Just for the record, 'Lucky...' is a live demo that rips the living fuck out of most bands' studio output and is by far and away the most delightfully brilliant song on offer here.
Blending the finest hardcore and punk influences together with a proficiency that would make the most polished of scenesters weep into his bandanna, MMW's fluidity is their most potent, ahem, weapon. Even though the chiaroscuro between dark and light is very pronounced, they handle all changes with skill and manage to colour each song with a distinctive sheen and vision. All the separate elements have a degree of familiarity that suggests that while they might have borrowed the current zeitgeist's buzz, they're imaginative enough to create something new out of it – like building a little fort out of Custard Creams. Seriously – this is ace!
Ben
www.mymindsweapon.net
mymindsweapon@hotmail.com
