Through a mutual friend, who is associated with the widow of the great Shmoulik Avigal, who unfortunately left us some two years ago, on July 30^th 2020, but has left a lot of good music in his wake. Yes, we all will know what he did with bands like HORIZON, PICTURE and THE RODS. He made very good albums which became extra special because of his unique voice, which had a definite touch of DIO in it. What a lot of people don't know is that he made an album under his own name AVIGAL, "Unbroken", released in 2011. Plus, an EP with Tom Jude of WARHEAD, called "Vision". So, this man did a lot more than a lot of us ever knew.

MOONROCK was around at the end of the nineties, and in that time, 1999 to be precise, they recorded a 12-track demo, which was quite good. As his widow owns the mastertapes, she put the word out that she felt that "Mindless Creatures" deserves to be released in a proper manner. Classic Metal Records Brazil answered her call, and in June 2022 this will finally be available to all the people that want to hear more of Shmoulik Avigal and his great music. But, one has to wonder, why wasn't it released by a record company just after the demo tapes were aired?

Well, the answer isn't that Shmoulik Avigal wasn't singing to his best, because if there is one thing I can't fault, it is his vocals. The same goes for the music, it sounds like it should at the time it was first released. Even the songs are well written and played. But here we go, the drums sound as if they are coming from a machine. Every hit sounds just too evenly paced for a human to accomplish. And even though the songs are quite good, they are all on the safe side. Nowhere does anything fly off the handle, colour itself outside the lines. It never gets so exciting that your hairs stand on end and you develop goose bumps.

The same applies for the lyrics and vocal lines. Even though Shmoulik Avigal sings it all perfectly, it's all too much middle of the road. Nowhere have you got the feeling he is challenging himself to get the most out of his voice. So, if you are looking for and album that will rock your world, MOONROCK and "Mindless Creatures" will not bring you that. If, on the other hand, you are looking for a good and solid record that will easily have you enjoying quite a good style of pure Heavy Metal, you will not be disappointed. I just expected more from Shmoulik Avigal. Maybe too much.

But, to soften the blow, as an addition to the album the record company has decided to add the "Vision" EP. And what does this bonus get you? Very good melodic rock/metal that takes me back to the HORIZON days, only just a tad heavier. And here you do get all the excitement and challenges that I was anticipating all along. Plus, a ballad ("Falling In Love") that is breath-taking. The 15 minutes of this EP make requiring this a must, because it increases the ratings all by a point. What a pleasant surprise.