Various Artists
Fettered In The Mind's Eye
Reviewed by Brian Vincent McGovern
Here's a chance for some underground/independent bands to be heard by someone other than whomever stops by the garage. Some of these bands sound somewhat trite, but a few are worth hearing. The Aeturnus tune, "From Blackest Darkness," is very tight, fast, and deathy. "Onion Ring" by The Pain is what happens when you put a blues/alternative vocal through distortion and give it some healthy metal backing. When I hit track seven, I thought it was a Big Tent Revival CD in by mistake - but then the dripping distortion rang in. Alas, it was the Seattle-esque sound (only cleaner) of Quality Scrub with a quality tune called "Help You Down." P.O.D. kicks out their brand of metal/rap, sounding a little like the Beastie Boys, except that the vocals are more creative. "Psychomantia (Cast You Out Overdub)" is a goose bump inducing instrumental by Aeturnus, filled with pieces from Bob Larson's radio show, Talk Back. These samples include a demon being cast out of a girl over the phone, etc. Wow, don't try that at home!