MIND BOMB "Mind Bomb" (1993)
By Dana Brittingham

Cover: 4 Daisy Chains out of 10.
It's a close-up head of a bee, fly, ant, or some kind of bug. Bugs are cool, but on a CD cover? Albeit heavy-looking, this doesn't make any sense to me.

Booklet: 8 Daisy Chains out of 10.
The booklet has a good layout and is put together quite well. Good use of typography and background images (more bugs). Included are complete lyrics, credits, contact info, thank you's, individual band member photos and a group shot. Nothing really makes my jaw drop but it's not a bad package.

Songs: 5 Daisy Chains out of 10.
One comparison that comes to mind is Faith No More, as Mind Bomb fuses together musical elements from several genres (hard rock, metal, techno, industrial, blues, pop and rap) - something that gained F.N.M. a lot of attention a few years prior. Obvious similarities aside, Mind Bomb is a different band altogether. Lots of studio trickery mixed with a 90's alternative hard rock feel. Some of these songs kind of suck, a few are average and others are close to awesome. Even the two tracks that could pass as ballads aren't bad, and I hate ballads. Overall the production is great. The highlight would have to be the single "Do You Need Some", quite a long track ringing in at over 6 minutes. Sort of an industrial disco-metal feel to it, if there is such a thing. It's cool. And if that's not enough, an even longer extended remix version appears as a hidden bonus track. Something for the kids.

Comments: Mind Bomb originally formed in the late 80s as "Daisy Chain", a nobody hard rock band floating around the Chicago club scene. Frontman Matt Mercado reinvented the band as Mind Bomb and put his talents as a studio wizard to work. Seemingly, these guys had everything going for them at one point. Major label debut on Mercury and subsequent tour. Al Jourgensen from Ministry did remixes of some of the songs which even got played in rave clubs. How often does that happen? There was a long-form video of "Do You Need Some" that was almost X rated. It showed people fucking while covered in slime. An edited version made it onto MTV and the song appeared in the Sly Stallone movie "Cliffanger". Critics praised their debut album, but it never took off with the public. By the time a follow-up album was recorded, they'd been dropped and nobody cared anymore. Matt Mercado has resurfaced in his new project, "Pivot Man" and was last seen label-shopping at showcase gigs.