Formed in 2001 from the ashes of platinum acoustic rock act Days Of The New. Tantric’s debut reached platinum as well. After scores of US tours, multiple rock hits, and last year’s top five single and video “Down And Out”, Tantric has grown into a mainstay at rock radio. “Mind Control”, their fourth album, is being greeted as their heaviest and hookiest to date. Look for them on tour this summer. RIYL: Nickelback, Theory Of A Deadman, Staind, Creed, Saving Abel, 3 Doors Down, Daugh [Read More...]
Buy Mind Control at Amazon
It use to be that you had to go to school and pay to learn stuff. Now, there is a plethora of free how to videos out there that allow you to learn at your leisure…and for free 
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
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-
2.0 out of 5 stars
NEVER BE THE SAME.
The first 2 Tantric cds were the best and they will never top those two.The End Begins and Mind Control are just not up to par.
5.0 out of 5 stars
It’s all good….
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.
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.
I absolutely cannot wait for Tantric’s new album. Last year’s The End Begins” was a real treat, I really enjoy their style of rock music and the violin was a good touch. I bought this song Mind Control to tied me over for the next month and a half. I rarely look forward to new albums as much as I do this one, the other most anticipated for me is AFI’s next release.
Updated with actual review:
I was never a big fan of their second album “After We Go” and although I thoroughly liked last year’s “The End Begins,” I found the overall theme of those batch of songs to be tinged with hints of depressiveness. Besides Down & Out, those songs were certainly not upbeat. That has changed with “Mind Control,” most if not all of these songs have a positive attitude about them, which I prefer.
“Walk Away” and “What Are You Waiting For” sound the most similar to “End Begins” but with a non-negative perspective. “Run Out” sounds like it was plucked from their 2001 archives and it’s my favorite on the record. “Fall To The Ground” is another awesome track.
I’ve listened to this album more than 15 times straight through already, and plan to bask in its glow for the next two weeks. The tunes are short and straightforward but still very fun. I don’t see how you could be in a bad mood listening to this.