FRENZY FIRE
METAL & ROCK REVIEWS
Mondo Fiction
|
FRENZY FIRE |
||||||
|
METAL & ROCK REVIEWS |
||||||
| HOME | ||||||
| REVIEWS | ||||||
| ARTISTS | ||||||
| UPCOMING | ||||||
| LINKS | ||||||
|
|
|
|||||
|
Mondo Fiction |
||||||
| Opensight are a four piece progressive metal band from the UK formed in 2002, releasing their debut album 'Prosthetic Soul' in 2008, followed by two E.P.'s - 'The Voice Of Nothing' (2010) and 'Ulterior Motives' (2015). The band has toured with the likes of Acid Reign, Uriah Heep and Slade, and performed at various festivals across the UK such as Metal 2 The Masses, MetalBrew, and Pure Rock Fest. The bands second full length album 'Mondo Fiction' was released in 2022... | ||||||
| ...and is a remarkable piece of cinematic entertainment. The band are well known for incorporating suspense, spy themes, action, and enigmatic horror passages into their songs - with their new album stacked with eleven striking examples. So gather round all you movie buffs and film fanatics, everything you ever knew about cinema is about to be exposed as fiction - mondo fiction! Ha, see what I did there! Cool eh! Oh, okay... | ||||||
| Featuring a meld of rock and metal, Opensight display their progressive vision on 'Mondo Fiction', with each song themed to perfectly suit different genres of film making, covering everything from spy thrillers to crime capers to edge of your seat horrors. Now that I've got the theme and thought behind the album out of the way, let me get down to the music. 'In Here With Us' is the albums opener, and is a highly atmospheric, tension filled and taut thriller, that'll have listeners taking a quick look over their shoulders. You know, just in case! 'The Great Silence' is a heavy hitter, showcasing all of the bands progressive metal leanings. The tempo changes coupled with a seventies style ambience is a great mix and takes you back to a completely different time. | ||||||
| For 'Plot Twist', the band add the "hiss" sound that would accompany playing vinyl records back in the day - for those old enough to remember. I know I certainly do! Wasn't that why Dolby noise reduction was invented! Anyways, 'Plot Twist' - the heaviest song heard so far, the epic and expectation loaded feel will keep you on the edge of your seats 'til the final twang. Just like a real thriller movie would. Hooking you with an unseen, possibly supernatural force, the horror tinged 'Stained Remains' is dark and moody, yet infectious and catchy. The most lively song heard so far, 'Stained Remains' is laden with suspense. And the one minute passage 'Another New Beginning' is a hard hitting rumble of terror mixed with horror, that leads straight into the fear laden gallop 'Primitive Principle'. And while all the movie buffs and film fanatics are sat still in their chairs intently listening, the metalheads of the world are forming a mosh pit, 'cause 'Primitive Principle' affords them the first proper opportunity for real head banging. | ||||||
| Bringing back the seventies movie feel of earlier, Opensight keep the recent upsurge of heavy metal tuneage in full flight with 'Curse' - the metal heads still head banging, the movie buffs and film fanatics remaining seated, commenting things like "this is good", "wow, reminds me of the old days of cinema", and "I'm sure I've heard this before". But trust me, you won't have heard any o' this before, 'cause these songs are all Opensight originals. Well almost all - more about that later! 'Horror Vacui' - the fear of empty space - is a one and a half minute horror and fear laden passage that acts as an anticipation fuelled intro to 'Villain', a thunderous stampede of distress and panic. The hard hitting nature of 'Villain' may have some listeners flinching in fear, Opensight delivering a fiery barrage of boisterous intent. And in stark contrast, 'Secrecy' displays none of the previous songs boisterous nature, instead opting for a more melodious one, coupled with a melancholy feel not heard anywhere else on the album. There's something simply intoxicating about 'Secrecy', maybe it's the sixties psychedelic hippie feel - "whoa man, come dig this groovy music". | ||||||
| And to the final song, a cover, or rather a rendition of, 'Thunderball' - theme song for the 1965 James Bond film Thunderball, starring the late Sean Connery in the lead role. And if you're expecting a "metallized" version, you can go home now! For Opensight have surprisingly, maintained the pace of the original, although have beefed up its bombastic and cinematic nature. Think seventies prog rock - the band echoing a sound that emerged less than a decade after the original was released. What a cool ending to what has been a very cool album. | ||||||
| Overall, a striking and intriguing collection of cinema themed epics - Opensight deliver a fantastical, fictional film score. | ||||||
| Review by Iron Mathew Collins | ||||||
| Reviewed for Metal Gods TV | ||||||
| Other Reviews | ||||||
|
|
||||||
| The Voice Of Nothing E.P. | ||||||
| "an amazing, near growl-like vocal display, crunching guitars and powerful drumming combined with acoustic moments makes this a very impressive release" Read Review | ||||||
|
|
||||||
| Thunderball (single) | ||||||
| "a highly cinematic and rocking version of the theme song from the classic James Bond film Thunderball" Read Review | ||||||
|
|
||||||
| Stained Remains (single) | ||||||
| "an atmospheric and haunting single, 'Stained Remains' is horror tinged, yet catchy and infectious" Read Review | ||||||
|
|
||||||
| Mondo Fiction - The Director's Cut | ||||||
| "the fantastical, fictional film score 'Mondo Fiction', is a bigger, better, and more incredible feature courtesy of 'The Director's Cut' edition" Read Review | ||||||
| Top | ||||||