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TANTRIC
Tantric (Maverick)
Reviewed by Melanie Campbell
To listen to Tantric's debut record, you'd think you were listening to a bunch of seasoned vets. But you'd be surprised to learn that this is their first real major label outing, and that these guys are only in their early twenties. And despite its fancy-sounding moniker, this is not music to do your yoga by, not by a long shot.
Tantric combines the best of metal, punk, and funk, and it's got some serious chops. Not only that, you'll be happy to learn that it was produced by Toby Wright, the guy who produced Alice In Chains, and this release picks right up where their best disc, Jar Of Flies, left off. So you know right off the bat that the louder you play this thing, the better it's gonna sound. Happily enough, these guys are also scoring some serious radio airplay.
Climbing up the charts is the song "Breakdown," a most eminently hummable little headbang. Rumored to follow in its footsteps is the tune "Astounded," and it should likewise do well at radio, despite its intensity. Also scoring high on the Thump-O-Meter is "Live Your Life (Down)" and "Paranoid" (which is not to be confused with the Black Sabbath tune of the same name). But these guys aren't all about volume; they've got a serious side on a couple tunes here, and the best by far is "Mourning," which, once you hear it, you'll never fall fer one of those lame-ass metal power ballads again. This one has guts in its acoustic beauty, and it does some neat things with a piano, too...
Always be thankful for "substance" in your rock-n-roll, kids. It's all over this release, and if trends hold, stuff like this is gonna be all over the airwaves for some time to come. Thank God. All that "style" that's been burning up the charts in the last five or ten years was starting to get real old. If guys like Tantric stick around, radio ought to start becoming good and listenable again for awhile.
Track List:
Breakdown * Live Your Life (Down) * I Don't Care * Paranoid * Revillusion * Mourning * Astounded * I'll Stay Here * Frequency * All To Myself * Hate Me * Inside Your Head
© 2001 - Melanie Campbell