Antidote - Mind Alive (1996)

The third and final act of Antidote's career, Mind Alive, is another evolution into a more modern sound, though once more the band had not entirely abandoned their thrashing roots. The album does have a good share of weak tracks, but I was quite surprised to find that the band's better writing here is of the melodic variety, and not the heavier edge that made their first album so good. There is a lot of progressive rock influence to the record, which was first bearing its teeth on Total, but comes into full fruition here, manifesting through the bass, guitars and even perhaps a little Jon Anderson influence in the vocals. I might be reaching a little to that comparison, but I do detect it on certain tracks, even though Nino doesn't work in the same range.

Most of the problems on Mind Alive, when and where they do occur, stem from the songwriting. Many of the tracks here are simply not that ambitious nor are they memorable. Like Total before it, the album has an extremely polished production which robs many of the heavier moments of their potential power. Nino Laurenne has once again altered his vocal approach, and it's difficult to believe this was even the same singer from The Truth. Here he sounds like he's fronting a prog metal band, and in fact...he probably is. I would say that overall the production of Mind Alive is superior to the previous album, from a professional standpoint. The guitars and drums are radio clean, the vocals are at their most melodic and tranquil of Antidote's history.

The mediocrity begins with the title track, which arrives and departs without much concern. A groovy thrash rhythm opens the track, and some tiny melodic guitars shine for a few brief seconds, but then it becomes formulaic, with dull acoustics to carry the vocals back to the metal rhythm. The vocals are really melodic, and perhaps a little too safe here. "Fall With Disgrace" begins with a network of crisp guitars, and then a charging, almost power metal rhythm. The vocals again feel secure and sterile, but the bridge is pretty and this is sadly one of the stronger pieces on the album. "The Aggressor Within" sounds muddy by comparison, with some pretty dumb groove riffs that raised my expectations for a Zakk Wylde or Phil Anselmo guest appearance. Alas, this did not happen, the track gets a little more thrashy, and Nino's accent makes the word 'aggressor' sound endearing, but not the song. Fortunately, "Icon of Hate" almost returns the band to its roots, with a solid thrashing and some melodic vocals. I wonder why Antidote didn't just write the whole album in this vein? The song is memorable, especially the vocals, and might be the best they've written since The Truth. "Dying to Be Dead" is a slow, balladic track which evolves into a crawling thrash. The music is rather underwhelming, but Nino does carry it forth from oblivion with his singing.

"Wallow in Vice" ignites with a Pantera-like swaggering rhythm, and really does not pick up until the 2:00 point, where there is a fairly catchy vocal hook. Otherwise, skip it for the brief and thoughtful acoustic interlude "Bridges", which introduces "In the Land of Nod", a solid if unmemorable track. "Masked Dance" is another song with groovy, simple thrash rhythms that just can't carry it, leaving the rest to Laurenne's vocal charms, which simply don't suffice. "Attitude" is a screamer, sounding much like the band's early years, but it just barely breaks a minute. What exactly was the problem, was the band afraid to go back to being good? Even in a minute's time, this song kicks most of the record straight in the ass. "Books of the Moon" is a slower track, but builds a pretty powerful atmosphere with a minimal thrashing. The last nail in the coffin.

Viewed comparatively, Mind Alive is the worst effort from Antidote, and the band did not end on a positive note. Certain tracks could be cannibalized from this release and combined with the better parts of Total to create a decent EP, and we'd all be better off for it. Aside from "Icon of Hate", the painfully short "Attitude" and possibly "Fall With Disgrace", there is nothing here that I would willfully listen through again. Though it was the finale for this band, it was not so for the members. Nino Laurenne and bassist Titus Hjelm (who had replaced Pete Peltonen here) would later create the band Thunderstone, and drummer Mikael Arnkil would later do time in Sinisthra, and is currently a member of the great Impaled Nazarene (where he plays bass).

Highlights: Icon of Hate, Fall With Disgrace

Verdict: Indifference [5.5/10]