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2-7-06 Ball State Daily News show review
Mantis played its last show under that name and did not disappoint. The band, now RedHorse, is more of a hard rock band with sound reminiscent of Tool and a much harder Theory Of A Deadman. The guitars settled more in a mid range, and the lead singer actually sung instead of screamed. His vocals are amazing and if the previous bands didn't cause temporary hearing loss, I probably could figure out his lyrics.
The band sent chills through my body when the played "Too High, Too Tired." Everything in the song is infectious, the beats, the hook, the drum parts. I want more! Not only the way Mantis played made other bands look like amateurs, but the bands mannerisms on stage really appeared professional. The way he strutted across the stage, the rock stance, his bandmates ability to play off of each other. Dead leaf fans take note; there's something special in Muncie and no matter what the band calls itself, it's worth every dollar.
9-22-05 (excerpt from) INtake Weekly Battle of the Bands article
Describe your band in three words:Clark: Loud, heavy and loud.What finalist would win in a fistfight?Clark: Well, our drummer has a pretty good reach, but you should never ever hit a woman. So, Jenn Cristy would probably win.What is the most underrated band in the history of music?Kindred: Mammoth Volume is probably one of the best bands people haven't heard of. They're Swedish and blend jazz and '70s fuzz rock. Definitely underrated and underappreciated.If your band was on any movie soundtrack, which movie would be the most fitting?Clark: "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" or "Children of the Corn." Some of our songs are definitely made for horror movies. |
05-05 Metal Maniacs cd review / Dave Brenner
Mantis. Moonshine Tabernacle.  Stoner rock is one of those terms that is looser than a crack whore working double overtime. One can dub something "stoner" and the band could resemble anything from Alabama Thunderpussy to Soilent Green [Pussysoul] or The Hellacopters to Hellchild. Shit, there's 4,037 bands between Black Sabbath and the Black Crowes that could be sold off under this umbrella term the world embraces. Well, Mantis are as fucking stoner rock as a four-ton block of baked limestone (Side note: is there some correlation between the "stones" and the "rock" or is that simply coincidence?) in the sense they fit the spectrum covered by the "genre laws." Aptly dubbed Moonshine Tabernacle, this is a must have for those who praise canned domestic beer as if it were the word of God and worship blown-out amps instead of messiahs. The next one will likely be out on Small Stone, The Music Cartel, Meteor City or the like. Mark my words. If you dig what goes on at Emissions Fest, this is something you'll want to invest in. Think Leadfoot, Black Nasa, The Quill and Fireball Ministry. |
12-13-04 Indymetal.com review of "Moonshine Tabernacle"
| Reviewed by Nate Wright. Following a proud tradition of loud guitars, rumbling bass and emotive vocals, local stoner rock band Mantis delivers the goods on their debut album on Lax Wax Records, Moonshine Tabernacle. Although usually associated with the aforementioned genre, Mantis has a lot to offer to any serious rock fan. The guitars are thick, the bass growls, and the drums provide a deft backbone in which to launch vocalist Jason Kindred’s mesmerizing vocals. What separates this band from the pack is the amazing way that Kindred seems to make you feel every story in each song he sings. And, when he decides to just let the music do the talking (he also plays guitar) in “Dildozer” the results are as equally satisfying. Rounding out Mantis is Scott Lindell (guitar), Brian Clark (bass), and Nick Nance (drums), since replaced by Dave Dalton. Mantis brings in some unique instrumentation to Moonshine Tabernacle, as exemplified by the campfire style introduction to “Man Behind the Rows” and the talkbox washed “Adam and Evil”. The album flows together nicely, with each song seeming to fit into the larger picture of Moonshine Tabernacle. While I’m not calling the disc a concept album, the songs seem to fit together as if each is a chapter in a larger story. This allows album to be easily listened to from beginning to end in one session. Moonshine Tabernacle was recorded at Azmyth Studio by Ryan Adkins (who also mixed and mastered the disk). Overall, the recording sounds great, especially in the thick guitars and great vocals. The only slight complaint I have is the drums lack a bit on beef and punch. While they are played flawlessly, the tone is just a tad less powerful than the rest of the instrumentation. However, make no mistake, Mantis delivers a powerful hard rock album in Moonshine Tabernacle, and is essential listening to those who like dark hard rock. Standout tracks – “Chum the Waters”, “Choking on Forbidden Fruit”, “Adam and Evil” |
3-04 Indianapolismusic.net review of "Moonshine Tabernacle"
Mantis delivers disc worthy of repeated listening Artist: Mantis Every once in a while, a local band will put out a CD that has somehow manages to cross that line between "your average, every day local band production" and "wow, these guys are local?" "Moonshine Tabernacle" from Mantis has accomplished that feat. From start to finish, this is one of those CDs that you want to make sure that your buddies listen to just so you can show off your local scene. Singer and guitar player Jason Kindred, a long time veteran of the Indiana music scene, leads Mantis. Kindred’s voice compares to a mix of Maynard James Keenen and Josh Homme with a hint of Chris Cornell. Comparisons aside, Kindred’s voice is rich and thick, adding to the already dense sound that Mantis offers. And while most people tend to ignore the lyrics of most local bands, one cannot help but to pay special attention the way that Kindred weaves his words. The lyrics demand to be sung along with, but they also demand a little attention. There is no "Oh, I know what he’s going to say next" going on here. Mantis truly shines in their music, though. Drummer Nick Nance and Bass player Brian Clark live and die by old adage "It’s not how much you do, it’s where you do it." It’s a good thing too, because the song writing and the instrumentation on this album are about as good as I could have asked for. Rounding out the rest of the band is Scott Lindell on lead guitar. Lindell brings in a more technical musical background and adds a lot on this CD with his complex soloing and use of musical accessories like the talk box. Like I stated before, the musicians on this CD sound like they gel completely with one another; The songs on this CD aren’t that much different from one another, and for once, I have no problem with that at all. At the same time, there is songwriting formula to which the band sticks. You don’t hear a consistent "intro, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, out" arrangement in the songs. Instead, you get a steady serving of good old fashion rock songs with fuzzy distorted guitars, a pounding rhythm section, and beats that make your head rock back and forth in a "yes, YES!" fashion on it’s own. Mantis also makes use of some instrumentation that you might not be expecting, such as the banjo intro on the beginning of "The Man Behind the Rows", and the "conversations" going on at the beginning and the end of "New Friend". Not only do these elements switch things up unexpectedly, they don’t compromise the sound of the song at all. Mantis has done something with this CD that not a lot of bands on the local level can do; they have produced a disk worthy of repeated listening. This is not a one-listen kind of production at all. You’ll want to listen to "Moonshine Tabernacle" over and over again just to make sure that you didn’t miss something lyrically, or just to put in your car and turn up REALLY loud. This is the kind of CD that feels special to me. I hope that everyone gets a chance to listen to it and feel the same way. |
1-15-04 INtake Weekly article & interview
| Preying Mantis These veteran Muncie rockers are not afraid to sing about sex, scare children and seniors, or dis Britney. Shanna Mooney - INtake Correspondent What Mantis lacks in history, the local band makes up for in chemistry.
"We all are pretty much on the same page," says bassist Brian Clark. "We really know each other musically." While that might sound difficult, Brian says he and co-founder Jason Kindred have been playing in bands together since seventh grade and have learned to take cues from each other. One of their projects, Circle Limit IV, played a lot around Ball State in the early '90s. Which is possibly around the last time Kindred shaved. "I call it the eighth wonder of the world," Clark says of Kindred's extremely long beard. "It's almost to my belly button," Kindred says. In fact, that's where the band got its name. "Jason's nickname used to be mantis-face because of his long facial hair," Clark says. "We just took that and shortened it." As for their sound, Kindred, who provides vocals and rhythm guitar, says it matches the look. "We try to uncategorize ourselves as much as possible," Kindred says. "But we play nice, solid rock and roll, plain and simple. I honestly am under the opinion that if you want to break out and make it nationally, unfortunately -- and I do underscore unfortunately -- looks do matter." As for influences, Kindred lists Black Sabbath and Radiohead as well as old country such as Hank Williams and Johnny Cash. "If you can't hear it in the music," Kindred says, "It's in the way I phrase my lyrics." Mantis, rounded out by Scott Lindell on lead guitar and Nick Nance on drums, will play for the fourth time at Birdy's on Jan. 16 and at the Dead Leaf Festival in Muncie on Jan. 31. And while Mantis is more used to the Muncie scene, the group is bridging the cornfield gap just fine, thank you. "I wouldn't say we are typical of Indy bands; we have a lot of friends here and our roots are in Indiana," Clark said. "We are trying to carve our own niche and make our own stand." We talked more with bassist Brian Clark: What do you think of the Indianapolis music scene?"From what I've seen, there is a great deal of unity. Bands are willing to help one another; it's a pretty friendly scene."What will take the scene to the next level?"It just takes one band to break the boundaries and get people to see the potential Indy has and to be taken more seriously."You describe your shows as intense. How so?"We are very passionate about the music we play. We write our own material and it's based on emotion. I hate to go out and see bands just standing there, playing. We feed off the crowd. It's always nice to look out and see people bobbing their head and getting into it."Your look is pretty hardcore. Do you scare small children and the elderly?"I hope! We aren't really hardcore, though. It's rock and roll -- but it's all very loud. I think every rock band sets out to scare the elderly and small children to some extent. If somebody's not afraid, we're not doing it right."What does your mother think of that?"My mom's really cool. She supports us. She may not like the music per se, but as long as I'm not out setting fires or something, she thinks it's OK."What is a favorite line from one of your songs?"Today the sun cracked open, and the rock began to flow."Are your shows a good place for people to hook up?"I would hope so! That makes people happy and will help them remember the name Mantis. I think we definitely have an element of sex in our lyrics. Some bands dodge the topic. We have one song called 'Choking on Forbidden Fruit' and another 'Adam and Evil' -- a lot of our music is about sex."Pick one: Britney, Christina or Madonna."I think Christina is a little too screwed up. Britney is too nice -- I think she is faking the whole bad-girl thing. I guess I would pick Madonna. She seems like she is a little more grounded and might be able to teach me a few things." |
