Tantric - Mind Control Review
Posted by Cory Johnson on 08.13.2009
It's been almost nine years since "Breakdown" put Tantric on the map. Nine years and four new bandmates later, can Tantric still bring the crunch or even sound like Tantric?
History
Tantric was formed out of the breakup of Days of the New when Jesse Vest (bass), Todd Whitener (guitar), and Matt Taul (drums) united with Hugo Ferreira on vocals. The self-titled debut album featured the hit “Breakdown”-as well as the singles “Astounded” and “Mourning”-and quickly went platinum. The heavier follow-up album, After We Go, while a decent album, did not even come close to replicating the success of the first album. From there, the wheels started to come off for the band, as they separated from their label, bassist Vest left the band, drummer Taul went to prison on drug charges, and when guitarist Whitener left it seemed like the band was dead with no label while they released sporadic tracks on Myspace. Undeterred, Ferreira recruited new members Kevin Miller (drums), Joe Pessia (guitars), Erik Leonhardt (bass), and Marcus Ratzenboeck (electric violin) to release the third Tantric album, The End Begins, featuring the surprise hit “Down and Out”. Mind Control is the group’s fourth album.
Tracks
1. “Mind Control” 3:01
2. “Fall to the Ground” 3:18
3. “Coming Undone” 2:56
4. “Desert Me” 2:45
5. “The Past Is Dead” 3:22
6. “Kick Back” 3:06
7. “Intermezzo” 1:26
8. “Run Out” 2:58
9. “Walk Away” 2:55
10. “What Are You Waiting For” 3:19
11. “Let’s Start” 3:02
12. “Guiding Me” 3:06
Analysis
Tantric is always going to be defined by vocalist Hugo Ferreira because of his instantly recognizable voices. Not that he set out to prove it, but due to a variety of reason, Ferreira wound up being the last member standing and Tantric managed to change every other band member and basically keep the same sound (Whitesnake being perhaps the only other band that has pulled that off).
On Mind Control, Tantric still brings that post-grunge crunch, especially on the title track, “Fall to the Ground” and “Coming Undone”, but they carefully and deliberately expanded the elements that make up their sound. The flourishes of electric violin make for some great riffs and texture and are a welcome addition to the band’s sound and fit perfectly with the band’s acoustic roots. Along with the tracks that would sound perfectly at home on their debut, the mid-tempo (and even the ballad) songs show off the band’s surprising depth in ways that take them beyond their usual post-grunge sound. These surprising touches show that the band definitely has much, much more to offer.
The surprises aren’t all good, as the band falls flat with the nu-metal touches on a couple of songs. They sound shockingly out of place and dated on “Kick Back” and “Run Out”, delegating otherwise good songs to b-side status. The band wrote over 30 songs for this album, and some ideas may have overlapped or got in the way of some otherwise decent songs. “Let’s Start” seems to suffer most from this, as this song could have been incredible if ideas hadn’t been mashed or edited together.
The slower tracks “The Past is Dead” and “What are you Waiting For?” really stretch out to highlight the warm and vulnerable qualities in Ferreira’s voice and the subtle textures of by the band. Tantric proves can still bring the crunch, as they show multiple times on this album, but the way they were able to branch out and explore gives me tremendous hope both for a follow up album, as well as an improved album. Tantric brings good energy to Mind Control, and the album is good, but just missing one or two things that would put it over the top and into the great category. When listening to the album, the sense is that they could make an incredible acoustic album with electric touches and amazing mid-tempo groove songs or just a devastating rock record full of power, playing, and sonics. Mind Control teases both. They should have pulled the trigger on one or the other.
The Tracks
The title track kicks off the album and is the first and features the crunch that you would expect, but in a much heavier way than past singles to make one catchy little song. The hypnotic quality and tone of the chorus will be hit or miss for some.
“Fall to the Ground” announces that grunge is not dead, as the dirty/grungy guitar groove is augmented by some nice harmonies on the chorus and in the bridge. This track would fit perfectly on their first album and sounds like it would be great on Guitar Hero.
The unique piano and trilling guitar line in “Coming Undone” were completely unexpected provide a nice counter to the heavier sections that follow it. Ferreira brings an awesomely nasty Freddie Kruger-ish vibe to the vocals, matching the sinister sound of the song.
“Desert Me” slips into a perfect groove from the opening notes-easy going, but with a menacing undertone. The violin is faint in the background, acting almost like a rhythm guitar at times. I loved what they did with the mix, floating the guitars, violin and vocals in and out, making it a perfect headphones song.
“The Past is Dead” is an airy acoustic song that just floats along. Surprising to hear this type of track from Tantric. Joe Pessia really shines on this track. Some of the best lyrics on the album are found on this breezy ballad.
“Kick Back” delivers a real shock with the nu-metal rap growled chorus over the harmony vocals. The song takes a sharp detour for the solo into the bridge, like they had a musical interlude that they just had to work in somewhere. The twists were definitely unexpected, but that was not necessarily a good thing in this case.
“Intermezzo” is a short instrumental featuring some cool little Spanish guitar sounds. This track almost sounds like an early Primus interlude….but it works here.
Drummer Kevin Miller is a monster on “Run Out”, setting up some great off-beat rhythms. The second chorus features another spoken-rap call and answer, reminiscent of early Linkin Park.
“Walk Away” features a guitar line that mimics the tone of Korn’s “Freak on a Leash”. The best part of the song features the violin riffing away with the guitar. Ferreira gets dangerously close to delivering the verses like Fred Durst, but with the grit in his voice it isn’t going to happen. The chorus is very sing along for an off tempo song.
“What Are You Waiting For” is a beautiful mid-tempo, more acoustic song that makes excellent use of the violin. The band really shines on this song, and the soaring chorus is absolutely beautiful. Ferreira should open up his vocalist portfolio like this more often.
“Let’s Start” brings back the heavy riffs and driving rhythms. The verses are incredible and have a great sound, but the chorus falls apart with weak lyrics and a mismatched sound for the rest of the song. This song sounds like it was pieced together from three separate ideas.
“Guiding Me” features the hypnotic extended vocal delivery that Ferreira used so effectively on the first Tantric album. The band brings the crunch to the song and the coda almost sounds like haunted church bells.
Download These Tracks: "Mind Control", "The Past is Dead"
Check These Out: "Desert Me", "Fall to the Ground", "Coming Undone", "What Are You Waiting For?"
The 411: Tantric is a band that always sounds like it is on the verge of having that big breakout moment. Mind Control may not be it, but it does show a talented, energized band ready to explore new songs and techniques. Mind Control is a good album, but it feels incomplete. Make no mistake, there are some good songs here, and a few tracks that are just missing something special to make them great. Tantric can still bring the that huge heavy crunch, in some places they sound heavier than ever, but it mid-tempo and even the quieter songs that impress most and keeps the band from sounding stale. This band still has more ground to cover, and Mind Control proves it.
