Feeling Tantric

Tantric proves with its self-titled debut album it will be, or at least should be, a force to reckon with inside the alternative rock scene. \nThis four-member band, featuring Hugo Ferreira on vocals, Todd Whitener on guitar, Jesse Vest on bass and Matt Taul on drums, rocks hard and intensely through its disc. Two of the musicians, Taul and Vest, are both originally from Jeffersonville, Ind.\nWhitener, Taul and Vest came back to their current homes in Louisville in November 1998 after their band, Days of the New, split up because of artistic differences. Instead of giving up, the three guys found Ferreira and formed Tantric in 1999.\nThe band's first single, "Breakdown," is a passionately delivered piece with a strong bass and guitar intro followed by a carefully paced drum beat, transitioning into Ferreira's deep, thick vocals. "Live Your Life" has a smooth instrumental introduction, bringing out the best of each musician before vocals finally come in to enhance the already near-perfect song with crisp harmonies. The third track, "I Don't Care," sounds angry in the beginning with intense vocals by Ferreira, but when the backing vocals come in and blend with Ferreira, the song really rocks. \n"Paranoid" starts off with a dark, sinister sound. Ferreira's vocals bring out that tone even more. Dark as it is, the vocals flow through the speakers, sounding rich and filled with soul. "Mourning" is a beautiful song, with the bass and guitar blending perfectly with the sound of the keyboard. Other tracks worth listening to include "I'll Stay Here," "All to Myself," "Hate Me" and the last track "Inside Your Head."\nAlthough the band is really rocking with "Revillusion" and "Frequency," it sounds too angry compared with the rest of the album. Variety is good, but the tone of these two songs is simply too different, and the vocals, although intense, are not as quality as the rest of the tracks.\nSounding similar to Creed yet remaining innovative with strong harmonies, Tantric's debut album is a keeper.