WICKED MINDS hail from Italy, and judging from their sound are heavily influenced from the seventies. “From the Purple Skies” rocks like classic DEEP PURPLE or URIAH HEEP. With their sound heavily influenced by such rock legends, the vocals soar, the Hammond organ grooves, and the guitars drive the music to a mystical land of the heavy, the hard, and the psychedelic.

As well as the standard rock fare mentioned above, “From the Purple Skies” features flutes and mellotron as well as some subtle electronic effects. Occasional guitar harmonies also help produce a well-rounded, authentic rockin' seventies sound. Mood changes abound, as most of these tracks are sprawling compositions, encompassing elements of folk, space rock and standard classic rock. Two covers are included: PENTAGRAM's “Forever My Queen” and a cover of the HEEP classic “Gypsy”, which is very true to the original and does justice to this great tune.

"From the Purple Skies" is a fine reproduction of the work pioneered by great seventies bands. I would have liked to hear the band add some of their own creativity to this sound and perhaps add a new, modern twist to the music. Really if I want to listen to seventies rock, I'll put on the PURPLE or HEEP. Plus, these ten songs go on for about eighty minutes. It's a lot to digest. The first few songs caught my interest, but after that I felt just a hint of boredom creeping in. There are a few dead moments on the disc, and if they were deleted, the time of the album could possibly be reduced to about 40 or 50 minutes (ironically, the length of most classic 70s albums), my interest could be maintained a bit more easily.

However, I shouldn't take too much away from WICKED MINDS and what they've included here. The production is perfect, the musicianship is highly professional and the songwriting is great. The promotional sheet discusses the "organ/guitar battles" prevalent here, and it doesn't lie. This album truly brings back the power of the Hammond organ, and I think this is highly overdue. The Hammond rocks!

- Saltry

OFFICIAL SITE: www.wickedminds.net

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