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When the album starts you hear the noise of a door unlocking and then kids... Then the song Strategy starts. After a longer instrumental part the voice of singer and guitarist David Quicho. The band started in 1990 as Perturbador and was more based in neo-classical metal, but after line-up changes they decided in 1999 to rename to Dimension. That change happened after two members left. At that time the band also decided to get more addressed to the international market and to use English lyrics. Even if they call their music still neo-classical metal there are many progressive elements and I think that they fit more to that genre.
The opening track is more then 9 minutes long, but because of breaks and tempi changes never gets boring. At a few spots David Quicho's vocals remind me of Roy Khan on the Conception album Flow... But just for a few seconds, then he gets back to his own style. The Mexican quartet is combining neo-classical elements, progressive parts and rock / metal in their own way, it seems that their origin made them sound different to known bands, even if fans of Pain Of Salvation, Threshold and other bands of that genre will like it.
On Forbidden Game features the skills of guitarist David. But they find the balance between technique and melody, even if the song structures are pretty complex. The quartet shows on Universal Mind the whole spectrum of their sound in this more then 13 minute long opus.
Partly the keyboard remind me of Savatage, for example at the beginning of Waiting. Even if I can't say why, but okay.... Anyway, Waiting is a slow, balladesque track which doesn't lack heaviness.
I think that with a decent distribution or label deal the band has the chance to become a part of the international prog metal scene. They have the skills and their own identity, now it's up to the music fans to listen to and to make this Mexicans known inside the genre.
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