Tantric (album)

Background and recording

In November 1998, after a turbulent relationship on the road, Todd Whitener, Jesse Vest, and Matt Taul were released from their duties in Days of the New. The day they were fired, the three were cutting instrumental demos for what would become songs on Tantric. However, in the meantime, Whitener, Vest, and Taul would have to survive through low-wage jobs.

In March 1999, singer Hugo Ferreira moved to Nashville, and within their first practice session together the group began developing songs. Within six months, the band had written a plethora of material and, thanks to local friends in radio, quickly gained a strong fan base in their native Louisville, Kentucky. After the band's demo caught the attention of Maverick Records late the following year, they were signed and began recording their self-titled album with producer Toby Wright.

The album as a whole emphasizes acoustic guitar and harmonized vocal melody which is, to some degree, reminiscent of Days of the New. This style was also heavily influenced by Wright, who is known for applying multi-track vocals to much of his work.

Touring and promotion

The band toured extensively to promote their debut album, including a headlining tour in early and fall 2001. From April to August that year, they supported 3 Doors Down with Lifehouse, and in May took part in the first two-day HFStival. After being scheduled to play at the Atlanta Music Midtown Festival, where Tantric was also scheduled, Days of the New canceled at the last minute on May 5. Although not proven, it was widely speculated to be a result of Tantric's involvement in the event. On May 11, Tantric performed "Breakdown" on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.

The Kentucky group joined Oleander and Beautiful Creatures on the Rolling Rock Town Fair tour from September through November. They also appeared on HBO's Reverb in late 2001. They would perform on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on December 28.

Tantric was chosen to join Creed for the first two months of 2002. They then embarked on a headlining effort in the Rellim Tour, sponsored by Miller Beer, in spring 2002. Afterward, Tantric would reenter the studio to record their second album.

Music videos were produced for all three singles from Tantric and fared well on MTV2. "Breakdown" and "Astounded," which was led by famed director Nigel Dick, feature a more abrasive, confrontational rock sound while "Mourning" takes on a power ballad approach. The latter was featured in the end credits of the 2002 neo-noir film The Salton Sea while "Breakdown" was in advertising and the soundtrack to Driven.

Critical reception

Mixed reviews were offered to Tantric's debut. Most negative feedback lay on the grounds that the album lacks a unique sound and rather mimics grunge dynamics and, more specifically, Alice in Chains. Much attention was also brought to the few musical distinctions between Tantric and Days of the New. However, the album also gained a measure of praise for its strong, commercially viable melodies and sturdy rock/pop balance.

Commercial performance

Tantric is the band's only album to land on the Billboard Heatseekers, at #4, and it reached #71 on the Billboard 200. By mid-2002, the record had sold over 600,000 copies. It would go on to achieve platinum status with over 1,000,000 units sold, a landmark that Tantric has been unable to top since. In contrast, the third album by Days of the New, similarly released in 2001, sold only about 90,000 copies.

All three singles managed to chart with the lead release, "Breakdown," reaching the highest of any Tantric single: #1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks (their only number-one single on any chart to date) and at #4 on the Modern Rock Tracks. "Astounded" and "Mourning" both reached the top 20 and 30 on the Mainstream and Modern Rock charts, respectively, and gained significant radio play. Few later Tantric singles would reach these heights with the exception of "Hey Now" and "Down and Out."

Personnel

Tantric