Mantra Sunrise [USA]

Updated 9/21/00 Discography Mantra Sunrise (00) Reviews

Mantra Sunrise is guitarrist John Miner's band before he put together the Art Rock Circus to perform Heaven's Café. Together with Joel Bissing, vocalist and lyricist, John has created an album of dark, moody music, almost gothic in nature. It drips with reverb in every song, but ultimately probably has more in common with The Doors than any symphonic Prog album I might name. The studio technique and lack of synths make this sound like a re-release of a "classic rock" album from the late '60's, though Miner's alternate guitar tunings give some of the songs an odd texture not heard there. The solo electric and acoustic guitar pieces by John Miner, "Brudnell", "Your Heart Acousic" (is that supposed to be "Acoustic"?) and "Mantra Sunset" are the high points, though some of Bissing's vocals are also interesting in a moody sort of way. Miner and Bissing haven't worked together in awhile, because Bissing has been off to the Seattle Art Institute to study music. He has written another album's worth of material and intends to record it with Miner as Mantra Sunrise again soon. He feels it will have a "Brit-Pop" feel, but Miner says that "it probably won't any more once I get through with it". -- Fred Trafton Links [See John Miner's Art Rock Circus]

MANTRA SUNRISE INDUCTED INTO:

Gibralter Encyclopedia of Progressive Rock