Track listing: Stone Bridge, Eurasian Wolf, Bellum Batonianum, Codex 1404, Vipera Bosniensis, Mahallah, Prokleta, Sanctuary, Longing, Infinite Horizons

Born from the world of Electronica, Sarajevo-based mentalEscape has taken a new turn with their heavier metal-esque instrumental release, Wordless. The album opens with the majestic "Stone Bridge," channeling Savatage vibes--iconic near-Viking style heavy riffs and attitude. But connecting to the group's roots, "Eurasian Wolf" brings to the fold more of a NIN/Ministry technological sound with its sharp & tight percussive onslaught.

"Bellum Batonianum" and "Codex 1404" bring in some blistering guitar leads and all-out headbanging momentum. "Vipera Bosniensis" returns to the album's opening motifs a la "Hall of the Mountain King" (Savtage, not Edvard Grieg), incorporating tonal elements present in traditional Bosnian Blues.

"I've always dreamed of blending genres from back home, but finding a steady band was the hard part," mentalEscape's founder explains. "With access to solid session musicians, that barrier’s finally gone, and it feels like a whole new world has opened up." The group has galvanized its line-up by enlisting the efforts of stellar players from around the world. The evidence is in the note-by-note precision and emotion each member brings out through their parts. 

Check out Wordless and mentalEscape's previous more electronic releases on SoundCloud (soundcloud.com/mentalescape), on Bandcamp (mentalescape.bandcamp.com), or on Spotify.