ALGOL is an Italian death metal band with hints of melody; their newest album, "Mindframes," rides the fine line between heavy but not overly brutal.  The opening track, "Falling Down", opens with heavy and melodic riffs, fast snare attacks from drummer Matteo, and subtle hints from keyboardist GIORGIA. Alessandro's vocals are deep growls but you can understand what he is saying; he finds a way to sound heavy but he doesn't travel into the real guttural growls that some Death Metal bands do.  There isn't anything wrong with that but the lighter style really fits the band's sound because they aren't too extreme sounding.  He also plays bass and this is where he really shines as he is so versatile with it.  On "Together as Divided," he shows how fast and intense he can slam the strings while even throwing in slight pro elements.  "Chaotic Muse," also shows these elements with a melodic and funky bass intro that wouldn't be out of place on a DREAM THEATER or SPIRAL ARCITECT album.

The whole band is great with switching tempo on the fly.  The beginning of "Ego Shield" has a very atmospheric sound due to Giorgia's slightly symphonic textured keyboards.  Matteo drums pound like cannon fire then suddenly the sound switches into full speed death metal.  Guitarist Michele has no problems playing fast as hell death riffs, then going into a groovy riff, sliding into thrash picking, then playing a melodic solo.  Michele can also shred really well, such as on the solo of "The Outsider," which begins with a melodic Prog sound then goes into fast finger picking that sounds like something Mustaine might pull off in a MEGADETH song.  As quickly as he blazes thru that solo, he comes back down into some melodic riffs, a la ARCH ENEMY.

"The Believer, The Agnostic, and the Brutal Truth," is one hell of a ripping track.  The guitar and drums attack full speed ahead while the keyboards give just enough melody to give it an epic feel,   without treading too far into melodic death metal. The song slows down about halfway for a melodic solo, but goes back into the sonic assault, the keys and guitars building up into a crescendo that ends the song with a bang.  The highlight of the album is "Claws of Fate."  I love the melodic guitars and bass in the beginning.  Matteo's drums accent that melody before the song gets heavy, displaying a very balanced melodic/heavy sound.  The vocals here are deep, brooding, and a stark contrast to the music that suddenly speeds up during the verses.  After the first chorus, a wonderful passage of guitar and keyboard dueling, pounding drums, leads into a fast solo before the band goes back into the melodic sides of things for another chorus-the song flows very well and has such good pacing.  The song ends with a wonderful light jam of clean keys, melodic bass, and beautifully played clean guitar.  During the previous minutes of the songs, you would never guess this is out how it would end.  The band really does play a lot of different styles.

That is what I enjoy most about this album-it has something for everyone and also is a good starting place for people looking to get into both Death Metal or even if they want a little melody.