MindMaze are a promising band like no other. In a time when female-fronted metal is at an all-time high in popularity but also at an all-time high for copycats and imitators, MindMaze has striven hard to forge their own sound and identity. Hailing from Allentown, Pennsylvania the four-piece band are young (all under the age of 25), but have honed their craft with close to one-hundred gigs spanning over two-hundred miles, including sharing the stage with metal mainstays such as Overkill, George Lynch, Doro, Raven, Jon Oliva’s Pain, Circle II Circle, and others. The band now is vying for international attention with the release of their first full-length album “Mask of Lies” in February 2013. Featuring almost 60 minutes of original metal, “Mask of Lies” aims to satisfy fans of Traditional, Progressive, and Power Metal and all points in between with in-your-face metal anthems, sprawling epics, and melodic balladry. The group’s sound strives to be something truly unique while paying homage to their variety of influences. Fans of Iron Maiden can admire the harmonized guitar wizardry and galloping bass lines, while fans of Savatage can admire the use of piano work alongside heavy rhythm guitar playing. Fans of Dream Theater and Rush can admire the bass and drum interplay as well as the variety of time signature changes, but most of all there is something to be said for the quality level of songwriting the band strives to achieve. The band has always been female fronted, but has never allowed being female fronted to dictate the style of music they play. Vocalist Sarah Teets displays both power and range in her vocal work, which maintains a cleanness that still has grit when it needs to. Matched with the impressive yet tasteful playing of the rest of the band (including brother Jeff Teets on guitar/keyboards, Rich Pasqualone on bass, and Kalin Schweizerhof on drums) and an exciting live performance to boot, MindMaze are winning audiences over with every show and every listen of their music. It’s only a matter of time until the rest of the world takes notice.