From Prague comes a very nice Progressive Rock/ Metal act (with additional elements), formed in 2006 by singer/ guitarist Martin Schuster (formerly of Arawn and currently also a member of Pessimist), bassist Adam Palma, and drummer Filip Kittnar (formerly of Hell, he also bashes the drums in the band Lammoth).
With the addition of live/ session (I'm not sure whether he was ever considered an actual member of the band) guitarist David Vanek (formerly of Rimortis, Pessimist, and Karpatia), and starting somewhere in 2007, the band has so far done over 200 gigs [highlights of which were supporting Nocturnus, Suffocation and Alarum in Prague (respectively in August 2008, August 2009, and October 2012), supporting Cynic in Kosice (in July 2009), and playing at the Brutal Assault festivals (in 2008, 2010, and 2012), and released two full-length albums [the band's full-length debut Into The Swirl (released through Shindy Productions in April 2009; and featuring guest keyboards played by one Vitezslav Sedina) followed the band's only demo, 2008's Inside The Consciousness]. Oh...before I forget, somewhere late in 2010, and well into 2011, extra live guitarist David Vanek was temporarily replaced by Jan “Honza” Tölg (known from Beltaine and Okrozom), but in 2012 the first re-joined the live line-up.
As mentioned earlier, Mindwork brings a very nice music, which has Progressive Rock as a basis. Added elements (obviously not necessarily at the same time) come from Jazz (audible mostly in the calmer passages, which are quite abundant), Thrash (can he heard in the fiercer moments), and Death Metal (heard in the very few moments where the singer starts to growl in stead of using his voice in the much calmer way which really typifies the album). As its band influences, Mindwork cites the likes of Cynic, Death, Pain Of Salvation, Opeth, Alan Holdsworth, Porcupine Tree, Devin Townsend, Anathema, Pink Floyd, Yes, King Crimson, Miles Davis, and Mahavishnu Orchestra, and when you've heard the band's material as a whole, you will easily fit in those influences. Lyrically, the band demands, or rather deserves, some extra attention, as topics from the realms of philosophy and psychology are used.
To allow people to get a feel for their music, the band posted 6 of the songs off their debut full-length (plus an extra song which I gather comes from the band's demo) at (www.) myspace.com/ freedomofmentality. The band also has pages on facebook and bandcamp, and the latter will allow you to listen to the current album in its completeness. There is, by the way, also the band's own website (www.) mindwork.cz, which for some reason I seem to have forgotten to browse for additional info. If you're into Progressive Rock/ Metal, and tired of waiting around for the established bands to finally release a new album, then you dó need to check out this Czech band!