Last night Mental Architects debuted as a math-rock band on bulgarian stage. Don't know if I mentioned before but originally they performed slightly different kind of music. My understanding is that in the last year or so they turned to math-rock and gotta admit that this was a wise decision which led to the release of Patience, Communication, Understanding, Go! EP (which I reviewed here) and of course to last night's concert. I was surprised but despite the poor advertisement and the Champions League final by eight o' clock club The Box was quite full. Obviously alot of people had heard about the promo and were eager to see the band performing live as was I. Mental Architects were quick to start even without announcing it. For their show they transformed the club into some kind of a room and my guess is that it was done for a more intimate performance which was kinda the end result. You see this wasn't your ordinary rock concert where you see the band in front of you and you headbang all the time. This time the band was off-stage and the audience surrounded the band. By doing so you somehow feel more connected with the band which also enhances the overall experience you get from the show. And I can tell that it was an awesome show. I'm sure that all of the people that were present that night will confirm. First it was Max, the drummer, that blew my away with mad drumming. I've never seen something like this here. I've been to a lot of concerts but I've never seen anything like this. This guy was unstoppable and was beating the hell out of his drums. So much energy that resonated throughout the club was just overwhelming. He's probably one of the most energetic and technical bulgarian drummers I've seen in a very long time. He gave everything for one memorable performance and that was felt by everyone I'm sure. His drumming skills were complimented by the excellent guitar support from the two guitarists Anton and Nikolay. Both men did not stop even for a minute to pound so to speak their guitars. So violently they played that that it was contagious. So much brute force was emanating from their guitars that you could feel your head being bombarded with constant flow of sonic waves. the band played all of their songs from the EP plus some more that I presume will be included in a future album. Mental Architects did an extraordinary show that filled the venue with exuberance and prompted the band to perform one more song after they did their set. Gotta admit that I hoped that they'll play one more or two songs but alas as every good thing and this one had to end eventually. Hour or so seemed like a few minutes. So much was my exciting that even after the show I was still under the influence of their music. So much raw energy, passion and dedication are hard to come by nowadays but this guys are full of this qualities. This band's true strength lies in their live performances. Really a band to see live. I strongly recommend it as well as their EP!
