┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐ │■ ■│ │ .-/ .-. │ │ _.-~ / ___ | ~-._ │ │ \:/ -~| / __/| .\:/ │ │ / || (:/:| \ │ │ / /\/| |:\___\| |\ \ │ │ / /:::|.::/:::/:.|:\ \ │ │ / /:::/ \\/:::/::/:::\ \ │ │ / .::\ \-~~~~-/\/:.. \ │ │ /..:::::\ /:::::..\ │ │ /::::::::- -::::::::\ │ │ \:::::-~ ~-:::::/ │ │ \:-~ ~-:/ │ │ METAL CLASSICS ARCHIVE │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ P R E S E N T S │ │ │ │ │ │ + 220 Volt - Mind Over Muscle + │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Information ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Release Date.Mar-21-2012 Encoder......L3.97 -V2 --vbr-new ║ │ │║ Genre........Heavy Metal Graber.......EAC ║ │ │║ Year.........2001 Khz/Bitrate..44,1/ Br ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Ripper.......anthem Songs........14 ║ │ │║ Covers.......Yes Url... www.220volt.se ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Notes ║ │ │╠═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════╗ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Artist : 220 Volt Rating : You Decide! ║ │ │║ Album : Mind Over Muscle Label : Metal Rendezvo ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Description : ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ I can probably forgive the world for letting ║ │ │║ 1984's Power Games come and go with little ║ │ │║ fanfare. That was a busy day and age for metal ║ │ │║ music, what with bands like Iron Maiden and ║ │ │║ Metallica exploding in popularity. It was a very ║ │ │║ good record, and ample evidence of a rising ║ │ │║ force in the Swedish scene (pun intended), but ║ │ │║ it didn't quite stand above what a lot of other ║ │ │║ acts were offering at the time, so into the ║ │ │║ bowels of history it would go, until nostalgia ║ │ │║ could pluck it forth once again. What I cannot ║ │ │║ forgive is that the subsequent album Mind Over ║ │ │║ Muscle received would also receive so little ║ │ │║ love or attention! Truly this is the apex of 220 ║ │ │║ Volt's output and one of the better pure Swedish ║ │ │║ metal albums of the decade! ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ There were a few aesthetic tweaks to the band ║ │ │║ with this album. The most obvious is that the ║ │ │║ band ditched the whole 'sexy female hand ║ │ │║ wielding power device or control while adorned ║ │ │║ in cut off leather glove or studded wristband' ║ │ │║ thing they had going on, and went with a good ║ │ │║ old SHMUP-style spaceship scene! Some might ║ │ │║ think this evidence that the band were verging ║ │ │║ on a more progressive sound for the new album, ║ │ │║ but that's now how it turned out. Another change ║ │ │║ was the addition of Peter Olander, after the ║ │ │║ band parted with guitarist Thomas Drevin (he ║ │ │║ would later return to the fold in 2002). I'm not ║ │ │║ sure if this change had any direct impact on the ║ │ │║ writing, or how involved Olander would be in the ║ │ │║ writing, but clearly something went right, ║ │ │║ because this blazes trails over the previous two ║ │ │║ albums. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Wanna know why? Well, for starters, this is a ║ │ │║ far more straightforward melodic power/speed ║ │ │║ metal album, with most of the hard rock elements ║ │ │║ of the past works consigned to oblivion. In my ║ │ │║ opinion, this shift holds a greater attraction, ║ │ │║ and the songwriting, which was already going ║ │ │║ strong on Power Games, is considerably improved ║ │ │║ once more. There is a more serious attitude to ║ │ │║ this record that does not entirely abandon the ║ │ │║ band's skill at vocal hooks and big fills. Jocke ║ │ │║ Lundholm is enormous on this record, and he has ║ │ │║ shed all of the roughshod, inexperience of youth ║ │ │║ to develop into a force to rival Joey Tempest. ║ │ │║ The riffs kick ass almost the whole way through ║ │ │║ the album, and this would easily appeal to fans ║ │ │║ of modern power or traditional metal more so ║ │ │║ than anything else in 220 Volt's catalog. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Everything about this record is bigger, longer, ║ │ │║ and harder...and it maintains an immense level ║ │ │║ of quality across most of the 12 tracks. "The ║ │ │║ Tower" erupts from a brief segment of churning ║ │ │║ feedback, with a driving freight train rhythm ║ │ │║ somewhere between Saxon and Exciter. The chorus ║ │ │║ is excellent, with some simple classical shred ║ │ │║ to elevate it beyond the vocal climax. "In the ║ │ │║ End" coils and grooves almost as if it were a ║ │ │║ Mercyful Fate/King Diamond track, with the ║ │ │║ obvious difference in vocals, before a ║ │ │║ glistening, hard rock groove in the chorus that ║ │ │║ is impossible to resist. "Electric Messengers", ║ │ │║ "Whiter Than White", "Blessed by the Night", ║ │ │║ "Touch of Fire" and "Halloween" are just five ║ │ │║ more thundering reasons why the album should ║ │ │║ have blown up the charts, and if you somehow ║ │ │║ miss the band's hard rock sound from the debut, ║ │ │║ well they've got you covered with "Mind Over ║ │ │║ Muscle", though I'd argue it's the weakest song ║ │ │║ here. If you can get your hands on the Metal ║ │ │║ Rendezvous re-issue from 2001, then you get two ║ │ │║ great bonus tracks: the superb, working class ║ │ │║ metal of "High Heels", sure to sate a Dokken or ║ │ │║ Europe fan, and the fetching, memorable "Dreams" ║ │ │║ with some tasteful speed licks and enormous ║ │ │║ vocals that almost verge on The Cult. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Mind Over Muscle is absolutely the FIRST record ║ │ │║ anyone should listen to if you're interested in ║ │ │║ 220 Volt, because you will be unable to look ║ │ │║ back afterward unless you are a massive anti ║ │ │║ tool whose cruel irony and lack of spirit ║ │ │║ leeches the metallic content from all of our ║ │ │║ blood. Half the songs on this album are perfect ║ │ │║ for cruising with the top down, throwing horns ║ │ │║ on the highway or just razing your arms through ║ │ │║ the wind itself. Enthusiastic, powerful and ║ │ │║ impressive, it's a long hidden gem of a near ║ │ │║ forgotten period in one of the world's largest ║ │ │║ metal markets. ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Line-up: ║ │ │║ J.Lundholm - vocals ║ │ │║ M.Karlsson - guitar ║ │ │║ P.Olander - guitar ║ │ │║ M.Larsson - bass ║ │ │║ P.Hermansson - drums ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ DISCOGRAPHY ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ Demo #1 Demo 1982 ║ │ │║ Demo #2 Demo 1982 ║ │ │║ Prisoner of War Single 1982 ║ │ │║ 220 Volt Full-length 1983 ║ │ │║ Nightwinds Single 1983 ║ │ │║ Power Games Full-length 1984 ║ │ │║ Heavy Christmas Single 1984 ║ │ │║ Mind Over Muscle Full-length 1985 ║ │ │║ It's Nice to Be a King Single 1985 ║ │ │║ Electric Messengers Compilation 1985 ║ │ │║ High Heels Single 1985 ║ │ │║ Lorraine Single 1987 ║ │ │║ Young and Wild Compilation 1987 ║ │ │║ Young and Wild Single 1987 ║ │ │║ Eye to Eye Full-length 1988 ║ │ │║ Beat of a Heart Single 1988 ║ │ │║ Love Is All You Need Single 1988 ║ │ │║ Still In Love Single 1989 ║ │ │║ Lethal Illusion Full-length 1997 ║ │ │║ Volume 1 Compilation 2002 ║ │ │║ Made in Jamtland Live album 2005 ║ │ │║ Heavy Christmas EP 2009 ║ │ │║ Heavy Christmas Single 2009 ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │║ ║ │ │╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │╔═════════════════════╗ │ │║ Release Tracklist ║ │ │╚═════════════════════╩══════════════════════════════════════════ │ │ │ │ 01 - The Tower [04:11] │ │ 02 - In The End [03:30] │ │ 03 - Electri Messengers [03:52] │ │ 04 - Power Games [03:40] │ │ 05 - Blessed By The Night [03:43] │ │ 06 - Secret Dance (Xymania) [03:58] │ │ 07 - It's Nice To Be A King [03:56] │ │ 08 - Mind Over Muscle [04:04] │ │ 09 - Whiter Then White [03:37] │ │ 10 - Touch Of Fire [04:04] │ │ 11 - Halloween [03:01] │ │ 12 - Pavement Song [03:42] │ │ 13 - High Heels (Bonus Track) [03:54] │ │ 14 - Dreams (Bonus Track) [02:58] │ │ │ │ Total Length : [52:10 minn │ │ │ │ │ │ ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │ ╔═════════════════════╗ │ │ ║ Greetings To: ║ │ │ ╚═════════════════════╝ │ │ │ │ Too all people who contributes to make this │ │ archive of good music in a exceptional conditions │ │ │ │ │ │ │ │■ ■│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘