Mindset Defect

Imagine August Burns Red, Threat Signal, Killswitch Engage, and All That Remains came together to form a gigantic supergroup of musicality, and that’s close to what Mindset Defect, a three-almost-four piece band from Nashville, TN, sounds like.

This metal, possibly metalcore, band uses the now-common singing+screaming combination, but not strictly within the typical formula, as the truly singing vocals also appear outside of the chorus, just as harsh vocals often provide background accompaniment to the singing itself. What makes this band different from many of those within similar genres is their choice of tempo and technicality: solos and intricate guitar work are constant throughout the songs, but guitar harmonies and galloping drums have substantial roles in both the verse and chorus, sometimes bringing to mind other bands of similar habits, such as Trivium, Bullet For My Valentine, or, as the originators of this technique, Iron Maiden.

Even though the music of Mindset Defect is heavy, syncopated, and has great focus on highly proficient guitarwork, they choose to step once again outside the expectations of genre by preferring slower tempos than are typical, leading to more focused attention by listeners – who would likely expect a much more brutal rhythm. Without such changes to the musical formulae, these southern rockers would not stand out as original or interesting, but, luckily for fans and listeners, they made the decision to choose creativity over copycat appeal. - Kyle Brady

Excerpt from a live review from May 5th 2007

For the third course of this Cinco De Mayo smorgasbord, Mindset Defect took to the stage. From the first note to the last, this band was all over the place and played with sheer precision through every song. One of my biggest pet peeves is when I see a band promote the hell out of their show, build up lots of hype, and then sound unprepared when it’s time to deliver. I certainly didn’t get that impression from Mindset Defect. They were ready to come out swinging and did a great job interacting with the crowd. There were even a few mini mosh pits in the crowd during their set. Earlier, I mentioned the “emo” style of vocals with one guy singing and one guy screaming. Mindset Defect had the same type of structure to a lot of their songs but the vocals were much harder edged and in-pitch which resulted in a very well-crafted sound. The band also didn’t stare at their shoes during their set (something I’ve grown tired of seeing at shows); they played with a load of enthusiasm and really got into their songs. I’ve been hearing good things about this band for the past year and had to break plans to see them a number of times. I wish I could have seen them sooner, but with what I witnessed last Saturday, I’m sure I’ll have plenty more chances to see them. If you like metal and haven’t checked out Mindset Defect, you can feel comfortable that you will get your money’s worth.

Chris “Uncle Daddy” Czynszak - Nashvillerock.net

Casey Davis was kind enough when we met at the Rockbar Metal show to give me their new CD. I had accepted them as friends because I liked what I heard. The vocals are fantastic, guitars are some of the best around town, drums and bass give it that great backbeat. Haven't caught them live yet, but I will. Starting off with Device this has great melodies mixing the best of hard rock and metal, love that about this band, vocals by all members of the band, with Jeremy Shields on bass and vox, Casey Davis on guitar and vox, Jason McGuire on guitar and vocals also, add some fantastic drumming and vocals by Scott Haynes this is the full metal jacket. No Way Out is a nice metal meltdown but Beautiful Murder is the song that I love the most, great vocals, the band is tight. Plenty of metal here, but this band adds to it with the lyrics and some really scorching guitars, this song is dark, I love it, yeah this one is going on my IPOD, love this song. Bleed And Die, again the guitar work blows me away, drums are awesome and bass is great. Great lyrics on this one, great vocals, I have got to see these guys live! Love the range changes in this song. Paint The Sky is pure metal at it's best but again the vocals are what really impress me about this band, great lyrics again, this band is going to be up there with my other favorite metal bands, the songs are excellent, thanks Casey, this is the shit, I love this band. Guitar work is very intricate. Drums are just crazy! This last song is really great, what genius guitar work, I think I am going to really love seeing this band live! Metal, but a twist, original. I like that too. Check them out next time you see they are playing! I know I will! - Nashvillerock.net