Pagans Mind first came to my attention by chance. I’d had one of those days when the only way to salvage some faith in life was to immerse myself in some heavy metal. As I wandered the aisles in a music mega store after work “Infinity Divine” caught my eye. I went to the listening post and within seconds knew I had stumbled onto a rather special band. I made my purchase came home and wallowed in music that was grand, heavy, epic and totally satisfying. Studying the CD booklet I found the album was a re-release so next day I went back to the store and found two more albums nestling in the rack “Celestial Entrance” and “Enigmatic Calling”. They were both as good as, if not better, than “Infinity Divine”.

To this day those albums get regular airplay in my household and I have striven to mention the band to as many people as possible. As fate would have it shortly after getting into Pagans Mind the band came to my city with Power Quest and Steve (our webmaster) and I went down to see them. They were a complete knock out and a revelation. Here was a band that could replicate their studio albums and yet also inject real fire into the proceedings. So when Dougie (reviews editor) contacted me and told me he had received the new Pagans Mind album for review I jumped at the chance to see just what the band had come up with.

When something comes along that is so damned special I don’t want to wait to summarize at the end of a review as I sometimes worry that my ramblings might have people giving up before the end. So let me say now, right from the start, “God’s Equation” is one of 2007’s most outstanding albums. It’s exciting, sounds amazing, has great playing, great songs, attitude, in fact it’s “fuc*ing damn near perfect” to this reviewers ears.

The album opens with the delicate instrumental “The Conception”. It lures the listener into a comfort zone with its grace and melody before starting to unsettle with drum patterns that echo someone trying to knock a proverbial castle door down. Before one can get settled again one of the most downright cheeky and filthy pinched harmonic guitar riffs you’ll hear all year hits you between the eyes and you won’t be able to resist screaming “fu*k yeah!” at the top of your voice. What follows is a rock riff extravaganza that takes the listener on a journey of dark and moody melodies to moments of uplifting and exhilarating musical genius. Nils K Rue is now one of the finest singers in the progressive metal genre. Geoff Tate opened the floodgates with his soaring vocal style in Queensryche and James La Brie gave hard progressive rock vocals melody again with Dream Theater, but neither of them combine it with such devastating effect as Rue. The power and finesse in his vocals on this album shows that all the promise he showed on the previous three albums has now come to fruition. There is so much invention within this opening track that it leaves one reeling for all the right reasons. Jorn Viggo Lofstad’s guitar solo is glorious with great individual phrasing and just sounds, in a word, awesome. Towards the end of the track he hits furious harmonic after harmonic and it’s just electrifying.

“United Alliance” is a track that has an energy all of its own and key changes that are tense and perfect for the subject matter. There is a grand and epic chorus that will have you singing along in no time but it’s the riffs and arranging that take your breathe away. Viggo once more delivers a perfect guitar solo with a nice nod of the head to the TNT's Ronny Le Tekro  when he scampers and bounces the notes on his strings.

“Atomic Firelight” sees the band pressing the heavy button to the max. Extremely heavy drumming and guitars lock horns and riff like their lives depended on it whilst Rue provides vocals that go from affected and computer like to heartfelt and soaring within the blink of an eye. There is a tangible sense of impending doom within this track as the band rack up the tension with unsettling harmonies. The riffs come flying in from all angles and once more an exciting solo tops things off to perfection. Towards the end of the track Rue hits vocal notes that other singers can only dream about.

“Hallo Spaceboy” is a track originally written by David Bowie and Brian Eno and Rue's vocals sound uncannily like Bowie, but on steroids. One has to say this is an inspired choice for a cover as it suits the modern and otherworldly vibe that Pagan’s Mind possess. The whole track is incredibly exciting as it builds and builds towards an inhuman climax. This track should carry a health warning as if you're driving a car you will find yourself wanting to the floor the accelerator, it  provides a real rush.

“Evolution Exceed” is a swirling and twisting modern rock workout that has grooves to die for. It is so catchy and infectious it defies belief and it also demonstrates the bands knack of going from harsh and heavy to supremely melodic and uplifting. This is sc-fi progressive rock without equal and had me thinking maybe this is what a Klingon listens to on his Walkman. There are some wonderful instrumental breakdowns that had me imagining Rush jamming with Dream Theater but the similarities are only slight as within no time Pagans Mind once more stamp their sound over proceedings.

“Alien Kamikaze” is a thrill ride from start from finish with glorious riffing everywhere. This is modern rock guitar playing and tones demonstrated in real style and with taste. Nils’s vocals are outstanding as he goes from scream to snarls to rallying cries. The pace never lets up and towards the end there is a drumming and guitar riff frenzy that is just super cool and one hell of a lot of fun. Jorn delivers incredible guitar solos one after the other and at times it’s overwhelming.

“Painted Skies” is as epic as modern metal gets. There are wonderful guitar licks at the start that sound so out there it’s unreal. Even Steve Vai hasn’t strangled his guitar like this for a while and when Jorn goes for the main solo we hear him literally killing his whammy pedal. The song goes into the dark but always comes out into the light in wonderful fashion.

“Spirit Starcruiser” is a quirky up-tempo song that is littered with guitar pinched harmonics in just right the places. It’s a big, bold and dramatic number that rocks for all it’s worth. Glorious changes in tempo pull the listener along and although the track is modern metal there is also a great rock n roll vibe going on. You have to hear it to believe it. One very cool feature of this song is a tempo breakdown midway through the song when the band sounds like a train starting up again, it is fabulous. The play out of this track is also fantastic and had me conjuring up visions of Eddie Van Halen, as Jorn's guitar tone was so full and fruity.

“Farewell” sees the opening instrumental track “The Conception” return but this time with a tasty solo guitar over the top. It is melodically beautiful and sets up the final track “Osiris’ Triumphant Return”. One could say the band have saved the best till last as at over eight minutes long this track has everything you could want from Pagans Mind. It embraces delicate melodies with heavy guitar riffs that stomp and knock down everything before them. The song is musically involved and intense but as always the bands dark paths always resolve into majestic and rich patterns.

One wonders just how Pagans Mind will follow this album, as it is truly magnificent. If you are a fan of Rush, Dream Theater, Circus Maximus, Queensryche or Symphony X you really need to check this band out. They don’t sound anything like those bands, but each share the same search for excitement and innovation in their performances. I have to give this album full marks, as it truly deserves it. If you are looking for an album that thrills and excites then pick this up, I guarantee it won’t let you down. A triumph in every respect. All we need now is a return to the UK for some live shows.

Let us know your views on God's Equation

Track Listing

The Conception
God’s Equation
United Alliance
Atomic Firelight
Hallo Spaceboy
Evolution Exceed
Alien Kamikaze
Painted Skies
Spirit Starcruiser
Farewell
Osiris’ Triumphant Return

Line Up

Nils K. Rue - Vocals
Steinar Krokmo - Bass
Jörn Viggo Lofstad - Guitars
Ronny Tegner - Keyboards
Stian Kristoffersen - Drums

Related Links

Pagan's Mind - Live Review