Search - Tantric :: Mind Control

Tantric's Latest Takes You Back

Lance G. Augustine | The Midwest, USA | 08/04/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There aren't many current, mainstream rock groups that retain the same post-grunge characteristics as efforts from the late '90s and early 2000s, but this latest version of Tantric attempts to keep the genre alive on Mind Control, the second album with the re-tooled band of frontman Hugo Ferreira (minus the services of ex-Fuel drummer Kevin Miller).



A different album altogether than The End Begins, there isn't quite the variety song-wise (many of these tracks sounds similar to each other), but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. It all depends on if you like the basic format of these tunes (think late '90s post-grunge). Hugo's voice could be considered an acquired taste, and his performance and tone are more on the rough-around-the-edges side as opposed to the smoother vocals displayed on The End Begins. Most of the songs do have melodic, somewhat hooky choruses...otherwise, this is pretty much straightforward rock without a lot of embellishments. "Fall To The Ground" and "What Are You Waiting For" are good examples of songs with pop rock-type choruses (however, one song, "Coming Undone", has more of a harder, screaming chorus).



Former Creed member Brett Hestla produced the record, and the production quality is a highlight here...great guitar sounds, fantastic drums...it all sounds super. New drummer Richie Monica does a more-than-average job of replacing Miller.



Overall, this album may not win any awards in the originality department, but if you're a fan of post-grunge rock the old Tantric way, this album may suit you well. For me, the best song on the album is "The Past Is The Past", and while it's not a hard rock song, it's well-written and shows a good deal of passion. And the verse of "Let's Start", with a great rock groove and delayed guitars, is one of the album's highlights from a musical standpoint. Grade: B-"

Solid Post-Grunge Rock release, but not generic

Joshua A. Boyles | OR, USA | 08/04/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is my first Tantric CD, and I bought it today, so I'm listening to it as I write. So this will be first impressions about them as a band and this CD in particular, and not so much in relation to their other work.



First, the songs are SHORT! The longest is 3:24, and most are almost exactly 3:00 long. On a 12 track CD (with an interlude of one minute for one of those tracks) it makes for a mighty short CD. I generally prefer longer songs, but I've found myself really enjoying the pacing of this album.



As to the music, let's talk for a second about post-grunge. Generally what you get are some dirty guitars and some scratchy or throaty vocals and call it good. It's the trap that a thousand Pearl Jam and Sound Garden clones have fallen into.



Tantric avoids this by providing a lot of variety, while still maintaining a cohesive theme for the whole album. Basically they have some acoustic guitars (strumming and some pretty intricate picking that is awesome), some dirty electric guitars (lots of power chords, not many solos), some strings spread liberally throughout the album which, thankfully, act as a garnish and not a novelty item, and some pretty great vocals, with great harmonies and strong, growly choruses. Take those ingredients, mix them up, and start making songs out of them.



So if you like the post grunge rock with some variety, I say go for it. They remind me a lot of Shinedown (one of my favorite bands) and there's the constant comparison to Alice and Chains (because of the vocals), but Tantric does a great job of, if not making something epic and life-changing, making something different and entirely enjoyable to listen to. Definitely worse ways you could spend your money."

It's all good....

S. Simpson | Little Rock | 08/10/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Lance review is pretty lame. Real fans of Tantric know their music and the progressions that it has made since their self-titled debut. Mind Control is a link in the Tantric musical chain that is pretty heavy, melodic, all around rock. Stop the labeling, Post Grunge? What? This dude keeps dropping that stupid, cliched label on a band that has been making solid rock for years. He seems (from reading his review) to know nothing of Tantric before The End Begins. I'm a huge fan of Hugo and (both) lineup versions of the band and this is a rock solid slab of ROCK. Not post grunge, grunge, pre grunge, latter-day grunge, or any other lame-brained labeling. I'm listening to Mind Control for only the 3rd time since buying it and that's already 2 more listens than I gave to The End Begins. I just thought that T E B was just to mellow, but this is the real Tantric. We're all entitled to our opinions though."