Customer Reviews

The Interzone Mantras

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I think The Tea Party are absolutely superb, but if you are looking to purchase their best album, you are more looking to grab a copy of 'Edges of Twilight'..

Initially, I was extremely disappointed when listening to this album. It seemed to be completely void of the Eastern and Indian influences and the saturation of instruments that Tea Party fans are so accustomed to. Still, a little change never did any band any harm, except perhaps Radiohead.

It initially didn't seem to differ a great deal to me other rock pieces out there, and if The Tea Party is anything, they are distinctively individual.

However, after a couple of listens, the beauty and maturity of the lyrics on this album are clearly comparable to their best work.

Like all albums, it has its little disappointing moments; the verse chorus verse of 'Apathy', or 'Must Must' for example, and the shortness of many of the songs is a little unlike the traditional Tea Party.

However, if you have a listen to tracks like 'The Master and the Margarita', 'Soulbreaking' and particularly, the amazing 'Mantra', their old marvellous self becomes a little more apparant. It is an extreme contrast to the much lighter 'Triptych'; their last album..

Overall, this is a deeper, increasingly intricate and much darker Tea Party, and whilst it may not suit all fans, it will certainly touch a spot in some Tea Party loving hearts.

Whilst it does showcase some amazing lyrics, it really does not touch my heart in the way 'Edges of Twilight' and 'Triptych' manage to.

What a crime that the TEA PARTY continually get the snub by the American record labels that have tried (or maybe never tried) to promote this great band. This is the Canadian trio's fifth studio album and one of their best, and like the last album, is being released without benefit of an American label. This one is at once a return to their hard rock roots yet very complex, varied and layered - not as bloated and directionless as their last, but still excellent, album "Triptych". I can't help but think that people just can't get past Jeff Martin's Morrison-vocals-meets-Zeppelin-riffs songs, (and this in a world where nothing BUT derivativeness is embraced by everybody - how else to explain the success of bands like Creed, Blink 182 and Matchbox 20?!) But look beyond the obvious and you'll hear in the Tea Party one of the most inventive and unique bands in the world. The fact that they absolutely rip it up live only further proves how talented these three are. A great new release...

WOW! I am relieved that TTp have released this album. Triptych is a good album. Good album. Interzone Mantras is a GREAT album. This has all the classic Tea Party elements. It fuses eastern instruments with a truly rock sound. It took me 2 spins of this disc for me to fall in love with it. This album along with The Edges of Twilight and Transmission are my favorite Tea Party offerings. If you love great rock music with thought provoking lyrics, then this is the album for you. If you are new, I suggest doing a little research on the band to fully understand their work.

This album is by far one of my favorite album of all time. This cd is worth every penny.

Interzone-great intro to the cd this song is cool 4/5
Angels-This is one of tea party single from this cd, it does not sound like a tea party song. this song has more of and mainstream rock vibe to it, but it's a really good song 5/5

Master in magirita- I really like this song, the guitar riffs are a killer in this one, so is the drums. 5/5
Apathy-this song is one of my lest favorite song on the album, to me it doesn't really stand out. 2/5

Soulbreaking-This song is the most emotional song on the cd, Jeff martin recived a mail from a teenage girl and in the letter she wrote that she was being sexual abuse by her father, so jeff martin made this song from that letter dedicating it to her and other women who are going thru the same problem.5/5

lullaby- Ah...another favorite, this song has that gothic vibe to it. everything is good in it, from the drums, bass, and guitar
5/5

Must Must- Another great long, catchy song, great drums and guitar. - 5/5

white water siren- This song sound like this old tea party, it has that eastern feeling in it with a little alternertive vibe to it. 4/5

Catharik- One of my favorites on the album, great beat. The guitar work in this song is amazing from the chourus, verse, and the killer solo. The lyrics are very strong in this song. 5/5

Dust to gold- another one of my favorites on this album, great guitar work and lyrics 5/5

Requiem- great guitar work in hear also, great chorus, but sometimes it reapeats a little too much, other than that it's a really great song. 4/5

Mantra- Ah, this song is a killer, it sounds eastern and it has a great vibe to it. Again the guitar work is amazing, also the drums and everything is superb! 5/5

If your a tea party fan this is a must, i think that this is one of their best work. Everything about this album is amazing from top to bottom. TEA PARTY RULEZ!!!!!!!!!!!

It is no secret that I am big fan of this band. They are much better than any American music on the radio. Mainly because of thier deep and insightful lyrics and excellent musicianship, basically, they are just awesome.
Song by Song breakdown:
1.)The Interzone-5 stars-Great opening rock track. Uses horns during the song which something not all that prevalent in the Tea Party's music. Good rock song about religious extremes.
2.)Angels-4 stars-The most pop sounding song on the record, also, one of the band's radio singles off the album. Just your basic straightforward rock song, but has a sexy, sensual feel. Focuses on "Wings of Desire" by Wim Wenders.
3.)The Master and Margarita-5 stars-One of the heavier songs on the album, has a very cool riff. Still so far not much use of the eastern instruments. This song is based on the book of the same name, an excellent read for anyone interested in Russian novelists.
4.)Apathy-3 stars-The weakest track on the album, but by no means bad. Has a cool, somewhat sexy vibe. Song about balancing beliefs of good and evil in one's life. Still no real use of Eastern instruments.
5.)Soulbreaking-5 stars- The most heartbreaking song the Tea Party has ever written. It was written for a girl who was abused by her fater and sent Jeff an anonymous letter about the ordeal. So he wrote this song in efforts to console her. This song features orchestral strings. A quite song for the most part, mellow, and extremely emotional. If you like this song I recommend checking out the White Ribbon Campaign, an organization working to stop domestic abuse. The tea party are active members of the organization.
6.)Lullaby-4 stars-Not my favorite song. It is very stripped down basic guitar driven rock song. It is also a radio single off the album. Still, ten times better than anything else on the radio in America.
7.)Must Must-5 stars-Written for the kwali singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Kahn. (Great voice, check him out) Another good rock song, has an eastern vibe to it. It is also very intense, has a lot of build up and the climax doesn't disappoint. It features a good guitar solo by Jeff.
8.)White Water Siren-5 stars-A love song, plainly put. But it is not sappy in the vain of every other love song ever written, it is still very insightful and poetic. A good lighthearted rock song featuring some good drumming. Has an eastern feel and features some eastern instruments.
9.)Cathartik-5 stars-Awesome rock song. Good for anyone who just likes to rock out. Song about excess in drugs and anything harmful in life. It has another great guitar solo, no eastern instruments, but has a really good groove to it. Highly recommended, also very emotional.
10.)Dust to Gold-4 stars-Song about irresponsibility people practice in everyday life, especially those in the public eye. Another rock song, no eastern instruments or sound, another good rocker.
11.)Requiem-5 stars-Quite possibly the most powerful song the band has ever written and one of my favorites. It has a good acoutsic feel to start, sort of a russian sound. Than brings in orchestral elements that build up intensity and emotion. A good song about respect and hope.
12.)Mantra-5 stars-My favorite from the album. Extremely emotional. Makes use of the eastern instruments and eastern sound to the nth degree. Rocks as well, features a cool little solo with a sarod in the middle of the song. Ends off with a cool little rock out session. The albume nds with a sample of tibetan horns, the same way it began.
It seems the album can be summed up in one word: emotion. Never before has the Tea Party assembled an album with so much feeling. I haven't heard anything like this from any other band ever. If you are looking for great, emotional, and diverse rock. Pick up this album.

I just bought this CD and I totally fell in love with it after the first listen. The entire CD is good and I can't say that about most bands. I knew it would be good, but damn!! Jeff's voice is so sexy it will put you in a trance. It's too bad they don't have a distributor in the states. I'm not Canadian and I have never been to Canada, but Jeff makes me wanna move there.

After listening to the CD lots of times after purchasing it(oct 16th), This CD has grown on me like no cd has ever had before.
Like all other previous records, you have to listen to it more than one time, to really appreciate it's sounds and it's complexity. This Record Though is completely
different than all their previous works. It is Pure Rock stripped of all, almost all of it's eastern influences. This Cd has Lots of solid guitar playing, and this is what impressed me the most. The Guitar driving at points are so intense, and gives such a feel that the only thing you can say is that the guitar work is brilliant. Listen to Cathartik and you will understand what i am trying to say, this song has quickly become my Fav of the record. Martin's voice seems deeper and the vocals seem to be much stronger than on any previos cd, quite an accomplishment. All songs are melodic with a driving beat, nothing new here tea party has always created Melodic tunes, The lyrics are beautiful, touching and philosophical.Just listen to SoulBreaking, which is a song written about a girl being rapped by her father, Inspired by real events this song is reel deep. Lyrics on Cathartik are really well constructed too "But i feel no shame, do you feel the same because i know i'll be alright, if i make it through tonight well i swear i'll try to change, once again" Overall lyrics are strong!
This CD is Rock in it's purest form, something we don't come across often in theses days where pop icons(won't mention names here..) reign, and should be greatly appreciated by Rock, Tea Party, Led Zep, fans. I STRONGLY RECOMMEND this record.

When comparing this strong CD to their previous works it is hard to say if it
surpasses them, hell their other stuff was so amazing. in my own opinion it doesn't but comes very close and overall
this album is magnificent and it makes you wonder how they can dish that many good albums.

STANDOUTS: Angels, Cathartik, Soulbreaking, Lullaby, Dust to Gold, Requiem, Must Must

NOTABLES: all the other tracks! there are no bad tracks they are all worth the listen!

1/2 - 4.5 Stars

Canadian rock'n'roll is finally getting itself on the front pages of music magazines. So it's a shame that the recently disbanded Tea Party is still largely obscure.

So put away the other wonderful Canadian bands for a moment (I love Arcade Fire and Broken Social Scene, okay?), and explore a darker, wilder niche. This Canadian band seems like the love child of the Doors and Led Zeppelin, and "the Interzone Mantras" shows them off at their blistering, hypnotic best.

In a way, it's a concept album: The songs roam all over the musical board, whether it's heartbreaking violin ballads, or teeth-rattler rock'n'roll that Led Zeppelin would not be ashamed of. It explores the faces of hopelessless, evil, apathy and the "the beautiful abyss," before turning out beautiful songs like "White Water Siren" and the finale "Mantra," which come to the conclusion that "love is all we have/love is all we need."

The best of the bunch is undoubtedly "The Master and Margarita," based on Mikhail Bulgakov's novel about the devil roaming 1930s Moscow. "So now that your faith's gone who are you going to trust?/now that your conscience is crawling in the dust!" Martin sneers, sounding both seductive and frightening.

But good as that song is, it's not the most striking. Martin wrote "Soul Breaking" about a letter a girl sent him, about her sexual abuse. You can hear the raw emotion as he sings, "You can't seem to run away/because every time the past's awakened/every time your soul starts breaking..." It may be one of Tea Party's finest songs ever.

A lot of critics label Tea Party as pretentious. Well, if it's pretension, then it's the best kind. Tea Party piles on different sounds and cultures -- bits of Russian and Middle-Eastern mostly -- along with blistering guitar riffs and sizzling basslines, swirling into each other in a hypnotic manner. Even the slower songs like "Angels" have some white-hot riffs.

And Jeff Martin should have quite a chunk of the credit. He sounds a bit like Jim Morrison's tamer little brother, with that amazing voice that manages to rise above the noise. It's sensual, rich and flexible, and he can belt out those complex lyrics as if he were born knowing how.

One of Tea Party's best albums, "Interzone Mantra" is a wonderfully nuanced album, with plenty of white-hot hard-rock as well.

As a long-standing Tea Party fan I of course bought this album the day it came out. I wasn't initially impressed because of some of the things people have already said - it really didn't feature the instrumental interludes and Middle Eastern instruments that we've all come to know and love in the Tea Party.

But after putting it away for 4 months and taking it out again I realised what a truly great album this is. The entire album comes across as having been written as one big production with chapters rather than the almost "greatest hits" style albums one normally hears in alternative and popular music today. It bucks and sways, slowing down near the end into the laidback Dust to Gold, leading into the soulful Requiem and then building into a massive crescendo with Mantra.

It's one of those addictive CDs you can't get enough of. It's not the same as Splendor Solis or Edges of Twilight, but it's different, not better or worse.

its really too bad that tea party isn't a well known band in the US because they are truly amazing. the interzone mantras was actually the first cd i got of theirs and i didnt really like it at first, but then i went back and listened to it a few times, and now i love it.

1. interzone- a pretty good song, thats actually the shortest on the cd, probably my least favorite on the cd actually 7/10

2. angels- great song, great chorus and verse 9/10

3. the master and the margarita- one of my favorites on the cd, awesome riffs and chorus, and also almost apc-esque guitar tones , very catchy 10/10

4. apathy- good song, reminds me of the doors a little 7/10

5. soulbreaking- another favorite, great string arrangements, and beautiful guitar - 10/10

6. lullaby- great drums and beat 8/10

7. must must- awesome guitar sounds, the most upbeat song on the album, very catchy 9/10

8. white water siren- another great drum track 8/10

the other two major standout tracks are requiem and mantra, both get 10/10