A little funk, a little fusion, a little prog, and a lot of jam-band make up the debut from North Carolina's The Mantras. These guys should go over like a house of fire on the jam circuit, especially with those who love bands like Umphrey's McGee and Phish, but there's also plenty of fusion fire to go along with their groovin' tendencies. Led by the stellar guitar talents of Keith Allen and Marcus Horth, the music throughout this self-titled debut features plenty of solo spots and tight ensemble arrangements, but has a loose and airy feel that flows very well from track to track. Spirited and melodic jams like "Dancin' " contain some tasty soloing from the guitarists, as well as intricate rhythms from drummer Just Loew and bassist Brian Tyndall. Vocally, these guys hit all the Phish/Grateful Dead spots just fine, but it's the complex instrumental bits that really set them apart from other bands on the jam scene. Check out the intricate interplay on "Eckard Falls", a real progressive fusion burner, the intense shuffle of "Metrognome" (featuring some heavy & complex sections that border on prog-metal), and the almost Weather Report-ish "Popna", complete with some wild Jaco Pastorius inspired bass work from Tyndall.
The Mantras have put together a fun CD that will have you tapping your feet to the grooves just as much as you will be inspired by their instrumental virtuosity. Good stuff all around for fans of the jam scene as well as Zappa inspired fusion.
Track Listing
1 Metrognome
2 Popna
3 Ska-Face
4 Jean-Claude-Band-Van
5 When the Funk Comes to Town
6 Brown Summit
7 Dancin'
8 Eckard Falls
9 The Way Life Goes
10 Brown Summit 2
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