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Mantra (Shelter album)

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1995 studio album by Shelter
Mantra
Studio album by Shelter
ReleasedAugust 8, 1995
GenreMelodic hardcore, hardcore punk, Krishnacore
Length30:29
LabelRoadrunner, Supersoul
ProducerTom Soares, John "Porcell" Porcelly
Shelter chronology
Attaining The Supreme
(1993) 		Mantra
(1995) 		Beyond Planet Earth
(1997)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic
Drowned in Sound9/10

Mantra is an album by New York City hardcore punk band Shelter. Released in 1995, it was the band's first album for Roadrunner.

Lyrically the album focuses mainly on Hare Krishna religious philosophy and social commentary on Western civilization — including a manifesto entitled Supersoul in the album's booklet, authored by band's frontman Ray Cappo. The first song, "Message of the Bhagavad", is introduced by an excerpt of a Bhagavad Gita verses reading.

Mantra was distributed in Brazil featuring two bonus tracks, expanding the listing from 11 to 13. Howerever, the lyrics for tracks #12 and #13 were not included in the booklet. By the time of the release, the band hadn't played live in the country yet, which happened for the first time in 1996.

Critical reception

Trouser Press wrote that Cappo "is an articulate and principled spokesman for transcendental thought set to a tough 4/4 beat." In a retrospective review, Ox-Fanzine called Mantra "a tame rock album from another time."

Track listing

All tracks are written by Shelter except where noted

No.TitleLength
1."Message of the Bhagavat"3:00
2."Civilized Man"2:37
3."Here We Go"2:38
4."Appreciation"2:08
5."Empathy"3:33
6."Not the Flesh"2:45
7."Chance"1:15
8."Mantra"3:09
9."Surrender to Your T.V."2:32
10."Letter to a Friend"3:19
11."Metamorphosis"3:33
Total length:30:29
Brazilian and reissue bonus tracks
No.TitleLength
12."Progressive Man"4:23
13."We Can Work It Out" (Lennon/McCartney)2:23
Total length:37:15

Credits

Band
  • Ray Cappo – vocals, lyrics
  • Porcell – guitars, additional production, mixing
  • Adam Blake – bass
  • Dave Dicenso – drums
Others
  • Sri Kesava (Baby Gopal) – backing vocals
  • Tom Soares – backing vocals
  • Boston Bhakta Program – backing vocals
  • Joe Tomlinson – backing vocals
  • A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada – spiritual representation
Production
  • Tom Soares – production
  • Greg Calbi – mastering
  • Tom Soares – mixing
  • Tom Soares – sound engineer
  • Fred Bortolotti – sound engineer (assistant)
  • Howie Abrams – A&R
  • Lego/Cut The Fat – art direction, design concept, photography
  • Betty Swollocks – design
  • Ken Salerno – photography (back cover)

References

  1. "Mantra - Shelter | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
  2. "Album Review: Shelter - Mantra". DrownedInSound. November 2001.
  3. "Shelter | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  4. Strauss, Neil (December 23, 1995). "POP REVIEW;Hates Meat And Calls Its Fans 'Murderers' (Published 1995)". The New York Times – via NYTimes.com.
  5. ^ "Shelter". Trouser Press. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  6. Cogan, Brian (2006). Encyclopedia of Punk Music and Culture. Greenwood Press. pp. 200–201.
  7. "Grupo Shelter deve fazer show no Brasil". Folhateen. 1996. Retrieved May 30, 2014. In Portuguese
  8. "Review". www.ox-fanzine.de.
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