OK...so you're in DAYS OF THE NEW, making music, getting laid, touring the country, drinking many beers. One day the head negro in charge boots your ass out because he thinks you're acting a little too "rock star" for his tastes. What do you? Well, the obvious of course... You and the other outcasts find a singer who sounds exactly the same as TRAVIS MEEKS, write a dozen songs that sound relatively close in nature to DOTN, and you get signed by MADONNA'S label, Maverick records.
You know something? I like that DOTN sound, so when MATT TAUL, JESSE VEST, TODD WHITENER, and new vocalist HUGO FERREIRA, put together TANTRIC, and release their debut effort, who could be surprised when it sounds much similar to DOTN. Well, me for one. I was always under the impression that TRAVIS MEEKS was the lifeblood of DOTN and without him, all songwriting would perish. This is not the case with TANTRIC. "Breakdown" is a strong-as-hell single for these guys. It begins with a hooky, acoustic, stomp-style guitar and quickly kicks into a catchy rock song.
Hugo sounds like a cross between Travis Meeks and SCOTT STAPP or CREED (who sounds like EDDIE VEDDER of PEARL JAM), and that's one place where this disc falls short. Too many of these low-register clones ruin the fucking soup, and I really wish someone in the A&R department would suggest another kind of singer for these bands before no one learns how to sing above a monotone growl. Call me a goofy bastard, but why is it that N'Sync and The Backstreet Boys are the only white singers allowed to have a vocal range these days? Slap a set of balls on one of those guys and stick 'em in TANTRIC. At least it would give their vocal harmonies a well-needed goose.
Other than the vocal shortcomings, "Breakdown" as well as follow-up single "Astounded" feature some seasoned, catchy songwriting. If they don't fuck themselves up too badly, these guys should see some success with this release...and maybe they'll pick a fistfight with Travis Meeks for kicking them out of DOTN.
