"Painted Mind" is the new album from Ukrainian band ODRADEK ROOM, which remains at the forefront of intellectual metal scene. Stylistically the band's music originates from Atmospheric Post-Metal and Doom Death Metal with elements of related genres. Project's author produced animated clips, which together form a whole psychedelic film with an overarching plot. The album depicts psychological aspect of 'mind obscuring', deconstructing and diving into suppressed states of consciousness. The album contains seven tracks.

"The Room" is the opening song. It's a short, two-and-a-half-minute opening track. It begins with organ notes, followed by a crushing riff and super-harsh vocals. More keys are added in layers, and it has a very depressing sound. "Breaching the Soul" opens with more ambient keys and light drumming. It picks up pretty quickly after that. Whispered vocals lead to harsh guttural utterances, with thick, open guitar notes. A brief guitar solo comes in, leading to an ethereal passage of Doom, with audible bass notes. Clean vocals provide some diversity. Towards the end, a heavy, weighted sound passes complete with a trippy guitar solo.

"Clarity" begins with more of those organ notes. They are sad and fill the room with despair. Some thick bass notes join in, along with background ambiance. Clean vocals here are sung with anguish. Instead of anger, you feel pure despair in this song. "Can't Tend a Flame" begins with a full-on assault of angry vocals and aggressive guitars. I love the bass work here from Serhey Kuznetsov. Just before the half-way mark, it slows for just a moment, then a new riff enters. Artyom resorts to some whispers to go along with his clean vocals. It picks back up, with renewed vigor, ending on some pummeling guitar accents and a charming clean guitar fade-out.

"Escape" has a long, ambient opening. Clean vocals have the vocalist contemplating whether or not he can change his fate. The are very emotive and will break your will. "Prayer" is one of two shorter songs that close out the album. It begins with a lot of atmosphere and fills the background with melancholy. It begins to swell towards the end, when light drumming comes in, along with a feeling of hope for the future. "Tree of Time" is the three-minute closer. A ticking clock can be heard in the background, along with the breaths of a ravaged man. Pretty strings combine with clean vocals, sung in harmonies.

Despair, hopelessness, and the feeling that you are alone in this world is what you feel after listening to the album. Doom elements come though strongest for me. They remind me of ENSHINE or SWALLOW THE SUN. The pacing is very slow, allowing the various elements to swell. The themes of different suppressed states if consciousness come alive. Sometimes angry and hateful, while other times more mellow, the tracks a whole is very well done. I felt myself running through different emotions that hit me square in the gut, and the textures they built here are extraordinary. This is a near-perfect release, and they have a new fan in me for sure.