Mendeed is without a doubt the most underrated young band out there right now. With bands like Trivium, Bullet For My Valentine, and Avenged Sevenfold all being made up of relatively young guys, and all rising in popularity, Mendeed is the definitely the underdog.

With their latest album, "The Dead Live By Love", they've shed their metalcore skin, and have put out an amazing slab of what can truly be considered "extreme power metal". Unlike self-proclaimed "extreme powermetal" band Cellador, Mendeed actually incorporate more than just soaring clean vocals. There is a great deal of Children of Bodom influence vocally, though they're not just a Bodom clone. And musically, these guys have the skills to put Trivium, Bullet For My Valentine, and Avenged Sevenfold in the backseat.  

There is a great deal of Bay Area thrash influence on this album as well, as at times the likes of Testament and even Sadus come to mind. And unlike most run of the mill power metal bands, when they do bring in the power metal their brand of it is actually extremely catchy, and amazingly integrated into the extreme foundation of their music.

'The Dead Live By Love' is a stellar release, and Mendeed could not have put out a better album at this point in their still young career. What's rather unfortunate is that it stands a good chance of being overlooked here in the U.S., for no other reason than simply because they're not on a major label and they're not all over MTV2.

Fans of less capable bands like Trivium and Avenged Sevenfold, do yourselves a huge favor and go pick this up. Give this band the recognition they deserve.