Mexico’s Glass Mind are a bit of an old school instrumental prog metal band. What I mean is that the current scene is littered with djent bands or guitar virtuosos masquerading as a band. Don’t get me wrong, I love Animals as Leaders but it seems like everyone is going that direction. While Glass Mind’s “Dodecaedro” is as heavy as those bands, they owe a bit more to Dream Theater and Liquid Tension Experiment albeit with a Latin feel.

This immediately clear on the opener “Babel” which has this old school Santana vibe infused with LTE muscle. It makes for a VERY cool sound. I really wish the second track “Caliente” was longer. It’s got this breezy vibe but it’s over just as you start to really get into it. This is a trend throughout the album which is the main downside for me. Four of the nine songs are under two minutes and never get a chance to take flight.

“Fu” is a great showcase of the musicianship in the band. They are TIGHT! “Inside the Whale” has some great unison playing, though I am not keen on the keyboard patch used in the track. “Detritus” is a riff fest and a great track. The title track closes things out with some bizarre sounds and an off kilter riff. I really like this one probably the most but I still wish there was an epic to close out the album. None of the tracks hit nine minutes and as I said there are a LOT of short interlude-like songs.

There is no questioning the talent of Glass Mind. There’s also no questioning that there is an audience out there for their music. They are really, really good. While “Dodecaedro” is a very solid album, it misses out on the true epic factor which is a shame really. I have a feeling there’s nothing to hold this band back from doing whatever they want.

Rating: 8/10

Tracklist:
1. Babel (6:14)
2. Caliente (1:40)
3. Fu (6:04)
4. Humedo (1:56)
5. Inside The Whale (8:25)
6. Frio (1:18)
7. Detritus (5:54)
8. Seco (1:49)
9. Dodecaedro (5:59)

Label: Rockshots Records
Facebook: www.facebook.com/glassmind
Bandcamp: glassmind.bandcamp.com