Mantra (Shelter album)

1995 studio album by Shelter

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
| Attaining The Supreme
(1993)  | Mantra
(1995)  | Beyond Planet Earth
(1997)

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Professional ratingsReview 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

[edit]

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

[edit]

All tracks are written by Shelter except where noted.

No.| Title| Length

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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 tracksNo.| Title| Length

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12.| "Progressive Man"| 4:23
13.| "We Can Work It Out" (Lennon/McCartney)| 2:23
Total length:| 37:15

## Credits

[edit]

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)

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## References

[edit]

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.
5. ^ a b "Shelter". Trouser Press. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
6. ^ Cogan, Brian (2006). Encyclopedia of Punk Music and Culture. Greenwood Press. pp. 200–201.
7. ^ "Grupo Shelter deve fazer show no Brasil". Folhateen. 1996. Retrieved May 30, 2014. In Portuguese
8. ^ "Review". www.ox-fanzine.de.

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

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*[No.]: Number