Mantra (Shelter album)

Mantra
Mantra
Studio album by Shelter
Released	August 8, 1995
Genre	Melodic hardcore, hardcore punk, Krishnacore
Length	30:29
Label	Roadrunner, Supersoul
Producer	Tom Soares, John "Porcell" Porcelly
Shelter chronology

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[1]
Drowned in Sound	9/10^[2]

Mantra is an album by New York City hardcore punk band Shelter.^[3]^[4] Released in 1995, it was the band's first album for Roadrunner.^[5]^[6]

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.^[7]

Critical reception

Trouser Press wrote that Cappo "is an articulate and principled spokesman for transcendental thought set to a tough 4/4 beat."^[5] In a retrospective review, Ox-Fanzine called Mantra "a tame rock album from another time."^[8]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Shelter except where noted

No.	Title	Length
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.	Title	Length
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

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

[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.

[TP-5] "Shelter". Trouser Press. Retrieved January 3, 2021.

[6] Cogan, Brian (2006). Encyclopedia of Punk Music and Culture. Greenwood Press. pp. 200–201.

[all_music-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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