My Mantra
7 LP
My Mantra are clearly not a band to be told how to produce an album. The first rule they break is that there are a conservative seven tracks on the record; although I think I get the title now.
However, more importantly, the second rule that goes out of the window is the one about having a few good songs surrounded by lots of average fillers – deciding instead to whack off seven stunners in the field of heavy rock.
Getting down to angsty business with the hard working riffs of ‘Get Inside’, My Mantra set a determined pace in a song that bursts through unsuspecting speakers with more drive than a golfing range. Guitars rip a distorted thread over the drums and the vocals range from melodic to all out gritty rage.
‘Give Light to No One’ follows up with a pacier track that takes the heavy-groove style of the opener and adds a punky twist that continues in ‘Bleeds the Same’. ‘Wasted’ and ‘Trading Punches’ provide something of a break from the heavy rock, combining atmospheric build ups and pop-sensibilities that include a nice ‘quiet chorus – huge chorus’ transition that is more than just a little bit hooky.
Personal favourite ‘Down Around You’ has the best combination of meaty riffs Vs intriguing melody and also supplies more guts than a bovine dissection. Album ender, ‘Bridges’, is the cord that ties the album together with all the elements previously showcased pulled into a single track.
My Mantra are clearly a melting pot of heavy rock with no respect for the Atlantic divide, fusing all the best bits from 35 years of international rockin’ history.
They are at their best when they’re chucking out big riffs with aggressive vocals, but most definitely brilliant throughout all of these seven songs.
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