We had to wait about a decade before we could listen to a new album by Neapolitan band Mind Key. And that's a shame, because these guys have talent and an album like "MKIII - Aliens In Wonderland" proves it with determination. The quintet, thanks to the support of Frontiers Records, is back on the market today with a formula that might seem a bit daring but that, in the end, works: Mind Key, in fact, start from a prog metal matrix, daughter of Dream Theater and, above all, Symphony X, which is accompanied by a pompous melodic approach, which has its roots in AOR and class metal. The style described, therefore, translates into a handful of compositions that try to bring together both the complex and intellectual approach of prog and the melodic immediacy of the eighties. So Emanuele Colella's guitars take on the most rocky riffs, with a full sound, more intricate rhythms and valuable solos; while Dario De Cicco's keyboards are divided between orchestrations and futuristic sounds, in line with the atmosphere halfway between the fairytale and the science fiction evoked by the title. An absolute strength, then, is to be found in the vocal performance of Aurelio Fierro, a singer with an enviable timbre and ability, which closely resembles that of a champion like Jorn Lande. The final result is absolutely credible and concrete, with compositions that stand out both for their writing and for their performance. Among those that have convinced me the most, we can mention "Hate At First Sight", particularly involving and melodic, "Be-Polar", more intense and aggressive, and "Oblivion", that plays on calmer, warmer and more enveloping melodies. With a general above-average quality, there is only one point of improvement that I think it's useful to underline: the formula chosen by Mind Key works, but it's also true that the album, as a whole, seemed too linear, while our feeling is that these guys have absolutely the cards on the table to use even more colors and nuances in their music. That said, "MKIII - Aliens In Wonderland" remains an absolutely noteworthy work, which we hope will be the first step in a new, richer and more satisfying phase in the history of Mind Key.