Mastermind - Biography
Logo
2000
Biography
World class modern progressive alternative metal recently described as Evanescence meets Metallica via Mahavishnu, always venturing outside of the box, constantly pushing the envelope, these words just barely conjure the creative energy and fiery sonic synergy known simply as Mastermind.
Founded by brothers Bill Berends (guitars & vocal) and Rich Berends (drums), Mastermind reached audiences around the world throughout the 90's as a power trio with four highly acclaimed indie album releases. They continued to grow with renowned Swedish keyboard wiz Jens Johansson (Stratovarius) joining the band's following pair of studio albums for the Inside Out Music label. Now in their second decade, Mastermind has evolved into a lean mean new millennium force spearheaded by the electrifying voice of Tracy McShane and solidified by the nimble power of bassist Laura Johnson.
This band is indeed something very unique and special. A balance of sexual energy drawing on a broad and colorful musical palette ranging from the progressive masterworks of Brainstorm to the sublime darkness of Tragic Symphony. From the pinnacle of musicianship on Excelsior! to the inventive twists on power metal with Angels of the Apocalypse. Reaching an ever growing fan base spanning generation, style, and gender, few bands can lay claim to such an all encompassing musical experience.
Looking to the future while still honoring their past, the power and passion of McShane's voice draws comparisons from Pat Benatar to Amy Lee. Perfectly matched to producer/guitarist Bill Berends' unique writing and driving riffs, powered by the mind boggling power and finesse of the Berends-Johnson rhythm section, Mastermind is a forward thinking high octane musical entity like no other.
With six figure sales on various globally distributed labels, Mastermind has toured Europe, Japan, and the USA establishing a solid career spanning into the new the millennium. Ask anyone who has experienced a live performance and you'll hear "amazing", "incredible", and "unbelievable" punctuating every conversation. Seriously. Mastermind demonstrates time and again this is a band head and shoulders above the mind numbing clutter in today's cookie cutter music cloning business.
Source: official homepage.
Mastermind have always been about progress and have never shied away from making radical changes to enhance their sound, and their new album is no exception to the standard they have set themselves. The aptly titled "Angels Of The Apocalypse" not only heralds a new millennium but also a new transformation to the band's line up. That transformation comes in the guise of the addition of female vocalist Lisa Bouchelle. Bouchelle has added another dimension to the band's ever evolving sound and gives the new album an added warmth, which sits well with the new compositions. Once again keyboard extraordinaire Jens Johannson (Stratovarius) is along for the ride and helps to maintain the new identity they explored on last year's "Excelsior!". "Angels..." incorporates virtuoso musicianship balancing progressive rock, metal and fusion and sees the band in top form producing their best album to date. Often likened to a modern version the legendary Emerson, Lake & Palmer, the band have recorded a superb interpretation of the ELP classic "The Endless Enigma", which also appears on the new album.
Mastermind was founded back in 1986 by guitarist Bill Berends and his brother, drummer Rich. With bassist Phil Antolino filling out the trio line up, the band gigged extensively on the New Jersey club scene. Shortly after a feature in Guitar Player's Spotlight column, the band released their debut album "Volume One" on ZNR Records in 1990. The album received immediate world wide acclaim firmly establishing Mastermind as a driving force on the new progressive rock scene.
The second album "Brainstorm" was released in January 1992 by ZNR. It had an even heavier more aggressive sound than it's predecessor and the band's reputation quickly grew in progressive metal circles. Receiving glowing reviews from both the progressive and hard rock music press in Germany, France, England, Holland, Italy, and Japan, the new album won the band many new fans.
In between a hectic schedule of gigs, the band were busy recording and had completed their third album by early 1994. "Tragic Symphony" was released in Japan in November of that year where it received an impressive 85/100 in BURRN! Magazine. The dramatic symphonic rock of "Tragic Symphony" opened many doors for Mastermind and the album was released world wide in June 1995 by Cyclops/GFT in Europe. Strong sales saw the album exceed anything the band had previously done. Work on a fourth album had already begun by mid 1995 as the band continued to hammer out powerful live performances on the east coast, supporting the likes of John Wetton and Joe Satriani. By early 1996 "Until Eternity" was complete and was released in Japan in June where the album was once again lauded by the Japanese music press. "Until Eternity" was released in Europe and North America in October 1996 to a growing legion of Mastermind fans.
With albums sales strong and interest high the band set off on their first international tour. Throughout 1997 Mastermind performed shows in Japan and Europe, then returning home to the US for another successful tour. This time around they supported such luminaries as Rush and ex-Marillion vocalist Fish taking the band from coast to coast and bringing their own unique brand of high intensity rock to many thousands of enthusiastic fans. A limited edition album entitled "Live In Tokyo" was released by Cyclops in June of 1997 and quickly sold out it's pressing showing the band had attracted a considerable fan base around the world.
Never content to repeat themselves, November 1997 saw work begin on an instrumental studio album which featured the addition of keyboard virtuoso Jens Johansson (Stratovarius, Yngwie Malmsteen) to the Mastermind lineup. Entitled "Excelsior!" the new album saw the band embracing their love of jazz fusion whilst maintaining the heavier direction they had now become known for. Live dates throughout the US saw the band performing with keyboard player Mickey Simmonds (Camel, Fish) as Johansson's own hectic touring schedule prevented him from doing so.
For now Johansson remains a key element of the recording band and will tour with them as his schedule allows. In the meantime the band are looking forward to the new millennium as it signals the beginning of a new chapter in the book of Mastermind.
Source: InsideOut homepage.
Founded by brothers Bill Berends (guitars & vocal) and Rich Berends (drums), Mastermind reached audiences around the world throughout the 90's as a power trio with four highly acclaimed indie album releases. They continued to grow with renowned Swedish keyboard wiz Jens Johansson (Stratovarius) joining the band's following pair of studio albums for the Inside Out Music label. Now in their second decade, Mastermind has evolved into a lean mean new millennium force spearheaded by the electrifying voice of Tracy McShane and solidified by the nimble power of bassist Laura Johnson.
This band is indeed something very unique and special. A balance of sexual energy drawing on a broad and colorful musical palette ranging from the progressive masterworks of Brainstorm to the sublime darkness of Tragic Symphony. From the pinnacle of musicianship on Excelsior! to the inventive twists on power metal with Angels of the Apocalypse. Reaching an ever growing fan base spanning generation, style, and gender, few bands can lay claim to such an all encompassing musical experience.
Looking to the future while still honoring their past, the power and passion of McShane's voice draws comparisons from Pat Benatar to Amy Lee. Perfectly matched to producer/guitarist Bill Berends' unique writing and driving riffs, powered by the mind boggling power and finesse of the Berends-Johnson rhythm section, Mastermind is a forward thinking high octane musical entity like no other.
With six figure sales on various globally distributed labels, Mastermind has toured Europe, Japan, and the USA establishing a solid career spanning into the new the millennium. Ask anyone who has experienced a live performance and you'll hear "amazing", "incredible", and "unbelievable" punctuating every conversation. Seriously. Mastermind demonstrates time and again this is a band head and shoulders above the mind numbing clutter in today's cookie cutter music cloning business.
Source: official homepage.
Mastermind have always been about progress and have never shied away from making radical changes to enhance their sound, and their new album is no exception to the standard they have set themselves. The aptly titled "Angels Of The Apocalypse" not only heralds a new millennium but also a new transformation to the band's line up. That transformation comes in the guise of the addition of female vocalist Lisa Bouchelle. Bouchelle has added another dimension to the band's ever evolving sound and gives the new album an added warmth, which sits well with the new compositions. Once again keyboard extraordinaire Jens Johannson (Stratovarius) is along for the ride and helps to maintain the new identity they explored on last year's "Excelsior!". "Angels..." incorporates virtuoso musicianship balancing progressive rock, metal and fusion and sees the band in top form producing their best album to date. Often likened to a modern version the legendary Emerson, Lake & Palmer, the band have recorded a superb interpretation of the ELP classic "The Endless Enigma", which also appears on the new album.
Mastermind was founded back in 1986 by guitarist Bill Berends and his brother, drummer Rich. With bassist Phil Antolino filling out the trio line up, the band gigged extensively on the New Jersey club scene. Shortly after a feature in Guitar Player's Spotlight column, the band released their debut album "Volume One" on ZNR Records in 1990. The album received immediate world wide acclaim firmly establishing Mastermind as a driving force on the new progressive rock scene.
The second album "Brainstorm" was released in January 1992 by ZNR. It had an even heavier more aggressive sound than it's predecessor and the band's reputation quickly grew in progressive metal circles. Receiving glowing reviews from both the progressive and hard rock music press in Germany, France, England, Holland, Italy, and Japan, the new album won the band many new fans.
In between a hectic schedule of gigs, the band were busy recording and had completed their third album by early 1994. "Tragic Symphony" was released in Japan in November of that year where it received an impressive 85/100 in BURRN! Magazine. The dramatic symphonic rock of "Tragic Symphony" opened many doors for Mastermind and the album was released world wide in June 1995 by Cyclops/GFT in Europe. Strong sales saw the album exceed anything the band had previously done. Work on a fourth album had already begun by mid 1995 as the band continued to hammer out powerful live performances on the east coast, supporting the likes of John Wetton and Joe Satriani. By early 1996 "Until Eternity" was complete and was released in Japan in June where the album was once again lauded by the Japanese music press. "Until Eternity" was released in Europe and North America in October 1996 to a growing legion of Mastermind fans.
With albums sales strong and interest high the band set off on their first international tour. Throughout 1997 Mastermind performed shows in Japan and Europe, then returning home to the US for another successful tour. This time around they supported such luminaries as Rush and ex-Marillion vocalist Fish taking the band from coast to coast and bringing their own unique brand of high intensity rock to many thousands of enthusiastic fans. A limited edition album entitled "Live In Tokyo" was released by Cyclops in June of 1997 and quickly sold out it's pressing showing the band had attracted a considerable fan base around the world.
Never content to repeat themselves, November 1997 saw work begin on an instrumental studio album which featured the addition of keyboard virtuoso Jens Johansson (Stratovarius, Yngwie Malmsteen) to the Mastermind lineup. Entitled "Excelsior!" the new album saw the band embracing their love of jazz fusion whilst maintaining the heavier direction they had now become known for. Live dates throughout the US saw the band performing with keyboard player Mickey Simmonds (Camel, Fish) as Johansson's own hectic touring schedule prevented him from doing so.
For now Johansson remains a key element of the recording band and will tour with them as his schedule allows. In the meantime the band are looking forward to the new millennium as it signals the beginning of a new chapter in the book of Mastermind.
Source: InsideOut homepage.