Time Signature Merchants of metal...

Genre: traditional heavy metal with alternative metal elements

Metal truly is a global phenomenon; I've reviewed power metal from Madagascar, thrash metal from India and here's Mind Prisoner, a traditional heavy metal band from Russia with their debut album "...The Way it Is" which contains nine solid heavy metal tracks, which are well written and well produced in a crisp and defined sound (there are places where the guitars sound a bit discordant, but I suspect that that is intended).

The style is traditional heavy metal, but with elements from both alternative metal and thrash metal, and I think it works very well, and the vocalist's folky voice (which reminds me a bit of Hansi Kürsch from Blind Guardian) fits the music very well.

The opening track "Merchants of Death" is an energetic strikes me as being very inspired by alternative metal/rock and particularly grunge rock, but with a bridge section that has heavy metal written all over it - "All or Nothing" falls under the same genre rubric. "Inner Confined" is an exceptionally well-written metal track with an interesting structure and several really cool riffs. This is class... probably my favorite off the album. Other notable tracks are the "Hero of life" with its groove sections, the mellow ballad "Another Day", and "One Vs. All" which contains both thrashy elements and 70s hard rock guitar figures (there is also a 70s metal feel to the doom-ladden "Temptation").

This is interesting and tasty metal from Russia, which takes as its base traditional metal, but blends in elements from thrash metal, alternative metal and 70s hard rock. I hope to hear more from this band in the future.

Recommended to fans of traditional metal and alternative metal. Some thrash metal fans might also like it.