It's been a long time coming for "Mind Over Mind", an album originally recorded under the guidance of producer Matt Wallace (Faith No More, The Replacements) in early 2002. Following multiple delays and record company wranglings, the effort has now arrived and delivers a far more realized, commercially friendly blend of the Helmet meets Quicksand reminiscent crunch that was present on the bands earlier offerings.

More up front and penetrating, the music these Maine based hopefuls have put together for this release shows that a great deal of effort has went into the evolution of their sound. The songs now feel more traditionally written and for the most part lack the rough edges that plagued "Tin Can Experiment". Astutely led by the increased presence of the coarse melodic vocals of band frontman Walter Craven, the group groove through the albums 13 songs with a bottom heavy rhythm section often laying down a concrete foundation for the interweaving assault of experimental squealing meets riff driven lunges.

In truth, the streamlining of the bands sound does seem to take away from the interestingly clouded approach that was present on their previous full-length release; But on the other hand it also has the benefit of ensuring a consistent momentum to keep the album flowing. Sadly though, not everything the band try on this record works. A handful of the songs seem to fail to strike a chord, while a number pale in comparison to the stronger tracks, most of which draw heavily upon blunt lyrical content, thus giving them all that more energy and emotion. In fact, despite its title, "Mind Over Mind" really isn't that brainy of an album. Instead it's really just a solid modern rock record that seems heartfelt and intent on making a stab at a larger audience, without trying to sound like everyone else.