HEADPRESS - UK

Also from Italy are Wicked Minds, whose album Witchflower showcases a band with more of a straight rock approach than Mastica – well, as straight as seventies inspired rock with a Deep Purple bent can ever be. J.C. Cinel handles the heavy vocals well, while at the Hammond helm once again is the busy Apollo, who really sets the album alight. There are several standout tracks: Through My Love, Witchflower and From The Purple Skies are particularly noteworthy. I would have liked to have been able to add A Child And A Mirror to that list – as opposed to one in time without the mirror – if only to have been able to crack the preceding remark – but it ventures a little too close to power ballad territory at times. Witchflower is a nice package, coming with a bonus DVD that has video clips with requisite saucy rock chicks and even Deep Purple posters on a wall, should the Purple cover Soldier Of Fortune have slipped anyone’s attention. Wicked Minds capture the spirit of the age of keyboard rock (and Deep Purple) perfectly. Admirable.