As these words from the band's promo are read for the first time, “Horizon is about the senseless tragedy of things that happen in the world around us,” explains vocalist Marcus ‘Mao’ Uggla.  “The Charlie Hebdo attack, the brutal massacre at the Bataclan Concert Hall, the senseless wars in the Middle East, etc… One day I just asked myself, what can I do to make this world survive, prevent it from tearing itself apart?” it shows the power of music and its ability to deliver a message. What kind of message? Is it of hope? Is it of despair? Is it of humanity ripping itself apart with no hope in sight? Well Mindshift covers all the above, and creates a mixture of melodic death metal, djent(a word I hate!), progressive and some metal-core influences as well.

While I do think at fifteen songs there are just too many to describe in one review, I will describe the ones that stand out for me personally. Arise and the title track are the first two full tracks following a brief intro track. Like their vocalist, who can switch smoothly between his clean and death/core vocals, the band can go from straight to the point brutal, to melodic and very catchy. This is not your typical Swedish Melodeath you are accustomed too. My Revenge on the other hand, thanks to the guest vocals of the always consistent Bjorn Strid of Soilwork, may make you think Mindshift are a lot like their country mates. A solid song with both lead vocals and harmony vocals working perfectly in sync with one another. Johan Lund's guitar playing is another thing that should be mentioned. Much like Uggla's vocals, he knows when to be brutal, melodic, and when to let it rip. This guy is seriously talented, and does not stick to one particular style he gets the chance to shine. Fabien Perreau's drums are a can't miss on Absolution. A melodic yet brutal riff monster that at just over four minutes is non stop from start to finish. At just over five minutes, A Thousand Scars is also the longest track on the disc. While I am not a fan of the term djent, and more of a fan of the term “Modern Progressive Metal”, I feel the majority of the riffing in this song follows that style. It definitely stands out musically from song of the other songs on the disc, with its mixture of grooves and dissonant riffs. One of my favorite tracks is near the end and that is the song, Single Session Therapy, and shows a great range in vocals(especially the clean), and shows the band's diverse musical ability.

As I mentioned fifteen tracks are probably longer then I would have liked, and at three minutes short of an hour, it may be just a bit much. While I can say certain songs are memorable, they could have written three or so less songs. Not saying one song is worse then others, there are songs I remembered after listening to the disc. A solid overall release that should entertain fans on both sides of Atlantic, and will lay groundwork for the band to build on for their next release. The fact the band created this album in response to the tragedies around the world, show that music regardless of our own beliefs and faiths, can bring us together.