Tantric - 'Mind Control' Review

Tantric have survived personnel changes and label shuffling, but as their latest album indicates, this band’s most crippling obstacle is their very dated sound. Mind Control, the second record since frontman Hugo Ferreira decided to carry on in the wake of losing the rest of his band after 2004’s After We Go, labors to resemble an album from Alice in Chains or Nickelback, with just about every guitar riff and grunted vocal feeling derivative. Tantric’s accessible sound gives Mind Control a pleasant post-grunge familiarity, but ultimately this is hard rock music without fresh ideas or urgency.

Tantric came together as a band when the musicians from Days of the New decided to ditch frontman Travis Meeks and start a new group. Singer Hugo Ferreira was brought into the fold, but after two Tantric albums, the musicians split with Ferreira, who retained the Tantric name. Since then, Ferreira has tried to replicate the commercial success of 2001’s Tantric, but he’s thus far failed in this quest. Mind Control’s first single, the Creed-like title track, supplies the template for much of the rest of the record: lumpy guitars, earnest vocals, a touch of radio-friendly sheen, and a big chorus. But “Mind Control” has the same problem as the rest of the album – it reminds you of music that you like without itself being music that you like. There’s nothing inherently wrong with trying to ape the alternative-rock scene of the ‘90s – Shinedown are a current band that do it quite well – but too little of Mind Control really soars or rocks. It just kinda sits there and groans.

Part of Mind Control’s lack of originality comes from Ferreira. Perhaps you can praise his determination for sticking with this band, even when their deal with Maverick ended after After We Go, but as a lyricist and singer he’s severely limited. On an antagonistic track like “Coming Undone,” his menacing words have no weight – he can bark and growl, but he’s not an intimidating presence. And even when the band members lock into a decent groove, such as on “Desert Me,” his favorite lyrical themes – betrayal and self-reliance – just come across as exceptionally whiny. Listening to Mind Control is to remember that really great frontmen have something charismatic about them. But Ferreira is neither compelling nor deep, and so you tend to tune him out.

Mind Control’s best moments tend to be its mid-tempo songs. “The Past Is the Past” is a power ballad that’s focused around an acoustic guitar strum seemingly inspired by the stripped-down flavor of Alice in Chains’ Jar of Flies EP. Nevertheless, the tune stretches out into an arena-sized sing-along that’s sappy but undeniably effective. Later on “Walk Away,” Tantric show a little snarl, riding some chewy guitar riffs for an admittedly simplistic discussion on the value of letting go of a dream that’s passed you by. “You got to know when to fold/And when to walk away,” Ferreira advises – and while it would be uncharitable to suggest he take his own advice in regards to this band, Mind Control suggests that he might want to at least shuffle the deck a little before the next Tantric record.

'Mind Control' – Best Tracks:

“Desert Me” (Purchase/Download)
“The Past Is the Past” (Purchase/Download)
“Walk Away” (Purchase/Download)
“Let’s Start” (Purchase/Download)

Release date – August 4, 2009
Silent Majority Group