Shelter - Mantra

Fuck yes. Mantra. This is kind of the best Shelter record. Not the best as in the most pure from the heart (although, at that point, maybe that's really all that Ray Cappo was feeling), but holy shit are the songs good. The whole thing is just so solid. Every song rules and is memorable. The album benefits from being bookended by two amazing songs, with excellence in between.

Musically, it's fairly different from all the Shelter records before. It's a lot poppier, and at points, it's also a bit rappier. Really, Ray has always been somewhat of a rapper. It's just that there are more songs with rap-style vocals on Mantra than on previous records, which is fine by me, cause it works. I am generally not into mixing rapping with hardcore (New York in the 90s), but sometimes it rules. I think it also helps that it's not cheesy wannabe hip-hop over shitty riffs (again, New York in the 90s), but rather an adoption of hip-hop vocal stylings. Ray will not shoot you.

Fact - "Message of the Bhagavat" is an amazing opener. "We've got...We've got...We've got...THE MESSAGE FROM THE BHAGAVAT!" Hell yes you do. That shit always gets me going.

It's also a lot happier sounding than any previous Shelter material. That's ok though. I like both kinds of Shelter. Older Shelter had a decidedly more austere aural aesthetic, but I enjoy that at least as much.

Fact number two - "Metamorphosis" is an amazing closer. THE LYRICS ARE SO GOOD: "Told what is best for me but I've seen their destiny. Our leaders' ignominy reconfirms my concern to rearrange and change my life."

There are no crappy songs on this record. Some are fast, some are mid-tempo, some are catchy as hell ready for radio punk that never was(specifically "Here We Go" and "Empathy" - could have been a hit in another time), but it all rules. No excuses need be made.

Fact number three - Mantra is out of print. That's what happens when, in a time of hardcore bands briefly crossing into the mainstream (Sick of It All, Civ, Bad Religion), you foolishly, vainly jump the ships you built for a piece of shit label that offers you a couple of dollars. The mid 90s were a strange time for hardcore.

Fact number four - it is quite common in used sections, as lots of people mistakenly sleep on it. Or just download it here.