Customer Reviews

Tantric

5 star:		(68)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

I wasn't really disappointed about the Days of the New breakup (massive lay-off is probably a better description), because I never really like DOTN. Travis Meeks's lyrics never really did anything for me-- "The shelf in the room has been the way . . ." Gimme a break.

Then I heard the new "Breakdown" on the radio, and felt like I should get the album to hear the rest of Tantric's work. When I learned that the former emembers of DOTN and a new lead singer (Ferreira) made up Tantric, I was even more intrigued. I stood in line at the store hoping that I wasn't throwing another $12 down the drain. Turned out to be some of the best $12 I've spent recently.

This album is excellent. Obviously reminsicent of the DOTN sound, but I've found the lyrics to be a lot more intelligent, and I like Ferreira's voice better than Meeks's. The double-tracked harmonies with his voice are "astounding." I also must compliment the entire band, because these guys are real musicians-- they play with different effects and styles, (employing keyboards in some songs), while still keeping to a DOTN/Alice in Chains hard rock sound. My favorite tracks are "Breakdown," "I Don't Care," "Mourning," "Astounded," "All to Myself," and "Hate Me."

Overall, this entire album really shines. You'll be hard-presed to find any filler. If you enjoy the styles of DOTN and/or Alice in Chains, this is a must-have. Do yourself a favor and purchase this album. You won't regret it!

Ok, let me just start by saying that I usually buy 2-3 CD's a week but so far this year nothing has really come out that has impressed me.....until now. The former members of Days of the New plus new singer Hugo have released the most awesome new rock record for a long time. It is amazing how much Hugo sounds like Travis Meeks and even better. Almost like Layne Staley in a way too.... He is backed by the extremely talented original Days of the New band and they pull off all 12 tracks on this album flawlessly-it rocks all the way through. Personal faves are "Mourning", "Astounded", "Hate Me", and of course "Breakdown." but like I said, every song is great. I also had the pleasure of seeing these guys live (opening for Dust For Life) a couple of weeks ago in Omaha and they blew Dust for Life off the stage. It was ... awesome so if they come to your town definatly check them out(It only cost me 6$ too!) So go out and get the CD and tell your friends too. This is the best album I have heard in a long time-it deserves 10 stars.

When Travis Meeks, the volatile frontman for the platinum - selling band Days Of The New, fired his band in 1998, what seemed like an end for those who were let go (guitarist Todd Whitener, bassist Jesse Vest, drummer Matt Taul) turned into a new beginning. Add lead singer Hugo Ferreira and Tantric is the result.

It would be impossible to describe the sound of this band without the inevitable references to DOTN. They sound very much like the first DOTN CD, you remember... the good one. The vocals here even sound the same and the comparisons to Layne from Alice in Chains will also be made I'm sure. But this is almost a genre all to itself, sort of "acoustic hard rock" maybe. This isn't gloom and doom either, it's upbeat.

Strong points of the CD include the songs "Breakdown", "Mourning", and the amazing song "Astounded". But overall there really isn't much filler. These guys are obviously good songwriters with a knack for playing some catchy riffs and throwing in some good harmonies. I hope they catch on. Hard rock could really use some real musicians.

First off, I have to give snaps to the guys of Tantric. You guys rock. I have loved these guys ever since I heard "Breakdown" for the first time. When they came out with "Astounded" I knew I had to get the album. I love their style of music and it's really cool to know that Rock Lives On! This is the type of music I grew up listening to and now that that I am older, it's still great to hear.

I just want to say good luck to the guys in the band and keep up the great work!

To all of you people out there that think Tantric sucks- you need to rethink where all this rock music began. If you liked Alice in Chains, etc. when you were growing up, you know how all of the kids feel now. Let them listen to the real essence of rock n roll and stop whining about how "rock is dead"

Oh, and to all of you out their that think Tantric sucks because you listen to Tool, System of a Down, etc.- I listen to those bands as well.

Where in the hell have these guys been hiding?! I understand that the current line-up is what's left of "Days Of The New", but this is even better.
From the opening "Breakdown" to the closer "Inside Your head", this CD flat out rocks! It has been several years since I've heard anything NEW that sounds so good. The line-up consists of Hugo Ferreira-vocals, Matt Taul-drums, Jesse Vest-Bass, and Todd Whitener-guitar-vocals. I don't know what they're using to write these songs..but I'm impressed!
There seems to be a mixture of influences here. Ferreira sounds a lot like Jim Morrison at times, and I don't think the comparison is stretching the truth at all. I also have caught a little of a Ronnie Montrose (Gamma) when I listen to guitar riffs on this CD. There is even a faint Allman Brothers buzz here! Having compared these fellas to some old timer's, I can also hear a bit of Metalica coming out.
Tantric has managed to blend and mold several influences well on this CD. There is even a bit of (just a little) country influence here. Combined with stellar song writing and a vocal delivery that enables the listener to really understand what is being said, the Louisville Kentucky natives have put out a recording that really hits home lyrically.
The men of Tantric let you know that THEY know what's up, and they're not afraid to tell you either! Such a breath of fresh air after so many years of politically correct recordings.

If Days of the New lead singer and "creative force" Travis Meeks wasn't sorry that he had dropped his trio of former bandmates in Tantric when he listened to "Breakdown" then it couldn't have taken much longer to realize what a fool he was. The first four songs are masterpieces of the Days of the New, acoustic hard rock craft, with a tinge of electric guitar played delicately by Todd Whitener.

The rest of the album breezes by, a compact and yet lavish album, produced crisply and beautifully. "Mourning" adds a mix of piano and classical guitar with lead singer Hugo Ferreira's growl in the last verse to make up the finest song on a great CD.

The former DOTN's picked up exactly where they should have. This isn't a concept album where the band thinks that they are a little bit bigger than the music. It's just good rock music, first and foremost, something that Meeks took out of DOTN when Whitener, Vest and Taul left the band.

If you like DOTN's first CD, you'll like this CD. If you like good rock music, you'll like this CD. That's the bottom line.

Let's face it, in the diverse and ever-expansive world of rock and roll and its multitude's of subgenres, we're not all going to be able to agree on any one thing. Everyone has particular tastes, and no one band is really going to be able to fill all those separate requirements. But wait! There may be hope for us yet! At the end of this long and conflicting tunnel a light awaits us all, in the shape of the band known as Tantric.

Okay, now before you all have heart attacks or something, I realize those are some pretty bold claims I just made, and it would take one hell of a band to fit those shoes. And no, I don't honestly expect every single man and woman in the free world to be able to fall in love with this cd and acheive some sort of state of Tantric harmony. What I am saying, though, is that no matter what your requirements for music are, what genres you adhere to, and what your particular tastes may be, it's going to be pretty hard to find at least SOMETHING you don't find enjoyable here.

In case you don't know, Tantric is the somewhat new rock band formed from the bulk of the members of Days of the New, minus the singer. You may remember them from their 97-98 hit single Touch, Peel, and... Whatever. If you can't already tell, I didn't really care for them much. That opinion might change now, but back in the days of '97 (an era I commonly refer to as: Worst Year for Music, EVER!) I really wasn't digging those guys too much. Anyways, for whatever reason, DOTN's singer decided to part ways with the band, at which point they hired Hugo Ferreira, and formed the band Tantric. And so began the beginnings of one of my new favorite bands.

From what I have heard of Days of the New, (and I have admittedly heard little) Tantric's sound is a bit different. This is also something a little bit difficult to answer, mostly because they sound like sound like a heck of a lot of the best parts of many, many different bands. I guess you could think of them as a collaboration of the sounds of Creed, Alice In Chains, Nirvana, Soundgarden, Lifehouse, Radiohead, Pearl Jam, Coldplay, and a whole slew of others that I could go on forever mentioning. Don't be shyed off if you don't really like one, or even a few of these bands, because Tantric also possess a sound so distinctly theirs that you don't even really notice the similarities to said bands, you're too busy enjoying what you're currently hearing.

When I first heard this cd, I had borrowed it from a friend who himself had purchased it on the strength of the single "Breakdown." If any of you, like most of us, don't sleep on top of a bed full of money with several beautiful women, and can't afford the risk, then you know as a cd buyer, that this is something commonly poo-poo'd upon. Couple this with the fact that my friend in question's taste in music is, somewhat... I guess you could say... superficial, then you can understand I wasn't exactly sure what I was in for when I popped this is the cd player. Well, by the time I had gotten through only a few tracks, I realized that my friend's musical risk had paid off in a big way; he had discovered one heck of an album.

Tantric is a really good album. I mean REALLY good. By that, I mean REALLY REALLY good. As in, surprised-there-are-still-mainstream-radio-bands-around-with-this-much-talent-good. This band, and this cd, is one of the few these days that really deserve all the attention that has been given to them, and for all of it, (and there's not really THAT much, I mean, I'm sure quite a few people won't even remember who they are until they release their second album) they deserve so much more. I hope these guys rise way above the five minutes of fame status most Top 20 rock radio bands recieve today, they're much better than that. If you can't take my word for it, you can ask my friend, the casual rock but mostly rap listener, or my other friend, the nonstop speedmetal listener, or you can ask my boss, the mostly Doors with a side of The Who listener, or you can ask my dad, the classic rock/forgotten grunge and straightforward rock listener, or... well, I'll stop there, but just know I've got truckloads of 'em.

I'm sticking to the bold claim I stated earlier and will say for the record that no matter what types of music you enjoy, you really can find something to like here, from the catchy acoustics of the single "Breakdown," to the all-out rocking power of "Frequency," to the depressing, yet beautiful melody of "Mourning," something's bound to click. I really can't tell you just how awesome this album is, it blows me away every time I hear it; it's just so extremely well-done. The band claims to have poured their hearts and souls into each song, and it really shows. Every track here is awesome, but if I had to pick specific favorites, it would be the single "Breakdown," still one of the best hits radio has had lately, the intoxicating "Live Your Life (Down)," the simply gorgeous ballad, "Mourning," "Astounded," which can't be described as anythind else but pure Tantric, and the emotionally charged "Hate Me." But picking favorites isn't fair, because I love the other seven as well.

You really don't have anything to lose by just giving this band a shot and picking up the cd, something I think anyone with a yearning for really creative and emotional music should do. What've you got to lose, fifteen bucks? Cmon, pick yourself up off your bed of money and beautiful women and go pick up the cd, you really can't go wrong. After that you can join the masses of people like me awaiting Tantric's second cd.

When all the original alternative rock kids grew up (I was still a kid at the time this happened), alternative rock matured and was aimed at the adults who grew up with it. Tantric was one of the great bands of this era of what I like to call "mature alternative rock."

Unfortunately, alternative rock later "grew backwards" and to this day is aimed at kids again. The kids who listened to Tantric (such as myself) who are now in college and who weren't listening to the Backstreet Boys at the time were assumed to have fallen into the next musical fad (emo/screamo/Elmo/whatever the kids are listening to these days). Glad I didn't, the music today is terrible.

Yes those of us lucky enough to know the roots of our music could tell the distinct musical stylings made famous by Alice in Chains when we listened to this album, however I find this no reason to talk smack about a band just because they have good taste in music. I personally was and still am a big fan of Alice in Chains. Upon hearing Tantrics Awesome new album it's more like a relief that there are still those out there who can write and play truly Beautiful music. The Harmonies and Guitar Sounds on this album keep Rock and Roll alive for yet another Generation.

One last note to the guy who said he would bring Tantric down to Alice in Chains level. You need to learn where the music you like comes from and learn to appreciate it because if it wasn't for that talent that came before Tantric, Tantric might not be what it is today. Now that I'm done with my rant session. I would like to say once again. Great Job guys! This is a truly awesome addition to my music collection.

If not for the radio airplay of "Breakdown", the first single off this debut album, I would never have heard of Tantric. Thank goodness I did, because I bought the CD and have been playing it steadily ever since. Solid musicianship, tight harmonies and a unique sound combine to make Tantric a real treat for the listener weary of much that appears on the radio today. Additionally, all 12 tracks are strong and hook-laden, never resorting to filler. Fans of both acoustic rock and metal should find something to satisfy them on this accomplished debut. It's a shame Tantric hasn't become more of a radio presence, for they are one of the better bands out there.