MANTRA

I was hoping for more from In Vain on their second endeavor. On the positive side their production has gotten a bit better. But on the other hand, the strong sense of identity that came across on their first album has vanished into thin air. First of all, the diversity on each track has lost its innovative feel and appeal on most of the tracks this time around. Where The Latter Rain always saved its monotonous feel by applying unexpected changes and twists, thus never becoming boring, Mantra causes loss of concentration on many occasions. I do get the doom feel that In Vain might try to express, but the long lasting monotonous parts are taking too much space this time around. This results in a lesser display of originality and identity, which clearly was demonstrated to a higher degree on the last album. Also, some of the melodies appear somewhat too similar to some of those from the last album. There are, however, some exceptions. The track Wayakin stands out as a great melody and original tune. In addition, the second track Ain't No Lovin' is also great, but it is also quite reminiscent of Opeth, and therefore doesn't exactly help to bring In Vain's identity to any higher level. The individual performance instrumentally is still great, and as mentioned previously, the production has gotten better. So there is still hope for In Vain. But as far as Mantra goes, I would definitely recommend The Latter Rain before it.

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