Band:	Rage
Album:	Black In Mind
Style:	Heavy metal
Release date:	1995
Guest review by:	Ch'ti

01. Black In Mind
02. The Crawling Chaos
03. Alive But Dead
04. Sent By The Devil
05. Shadow Out Of Time
06. A Spider's Web
07. In A Nameless Time
08. The Icecold Hand Of Destiny
09. Forever
10. Until I Die
11. My Rage
12. The Price Of War
13. Start
14. All This Time
15. Forgive But Don't Forget [bonus]
16. Tie The Rope [bonus]
17. Chase [bonus]

An hour-long heavy metal classic that grabs you by the guts and moves them to the rhythm of its guitars.

Heavy metal is a genre full of gems and classics, and Black In Mind is one of them. The album stands out because it manages to keep the listener in their seat for 1 hour, impressive in an era where most people's attention span does not exceed a minute. The music is very classic, typical of heavy metal with good riffs, a supercharged guitar and a vocalist who tears his vocal cords. I find that the vocals have a little Witherscape edge to them, which fits quite well with the band's style of music.

Everything you expect from a heavy metal album is here, but this time there's a little more. The album contains 14 songs, which is more than the usual heavy metal album features; however, while normally some songs would be less impactful than others, there is no track particularly lacking in this album. All the songs fit together quite well, which allows the album to never run out of steam. Plus, we shouldn't be surprised that an album referencing H.P. Lovecraft is a success.

The album still has some shortcomings; we can talk about the fact that since no song is more lacking than the other, it is a quality as much as a fault, because at no time did I really feel fully into the album; in contrast, the best albums generally have good music, and from time to time deliver a few bangers that shape the whole listening experience and make it more memorable.

The riffs become quite repetitive from the middle of the album; we have the feeling that even if the tracks follow each other well, the album lacks a little flavor, that little something that makes it unique and allows an album to become an essential of its genre. This lack is the biggest drawback I have with Black In Mind, which still is ultimately a good experience.

Black In Mind is a good listen and a good example of what heavy metal has to offer; however, it lacks that little something extra to truly allow it to be a timeless classic. It's easy to listen to, but it's the type of record that will never be someone's favorite. Despite my issues with Black In Mind, don't be discouraged if you haven't yet listened to this album; you won't be disappointed with the music it offers.