If you’ve paid close attention to the contemporary music scene, there are many bands and artists nowadays who sound impressively good yet fail to craft unique music that resonates with the broader audience. It seems like many of them are trying to reinvent the same wheel all the time, mimicking their influences, inspirations, and favorite bands. Still, there are bands that are breaking the rules and shapeshifting the boundaries of modern music by implementing fresh, unique, diverse, innovative ideas, techniques, approaches, and other ways to standout in comparison with anything the global music currently has to offer. Captain Mantis is a prime example of how a band should sound in 2025. This superb Mexican trio based in Monterrey knows how to surpass all those clichés often presented in modern music to deliver a one-of-a-kind musical experience worth repeating over and over again. With “Vice Market,” their latest debut extended play release, these ultimately experienced musicians successfully shine with all those qualities rarely heard or seen in other contemporaries. This four-song exploration into sole depths of fuzzy and soulful music will immediately wrap around your listening apparatus and refuse to let go long after this material ends. Lyrically, Captain Mantis explored various sentiments, moods, situations, and circumstances, making “Vice Market” such a highly relatable collection of songs that will immediately resonate with the broader auditorium. Sonically, this incredible trio explores all things rock in such a distinguishable way. You’ll immediately realize that they’re devoted to the rock sound, deeply rooted in seventies hard rock and classic rock, but there are also other sonic ingredients incorporated along the way. You’ll notice all those finest properties borrowed from psychedelic, progressive, garage, alternative, and other, less or more dominant qualities of all things rock. They use all these additional sonic ingredients as more than necessary enhancements, accentuations, decorations, and other details to elevate their music to new heights, while simultaneously remaining loyal to the primary sonic direction. They mainly explore all those retro rock vibes, yet you’ll notice how they implemented qualities that meet all the trends in modern music production. This collision between fuzzy and polishness, rawness and melody, retro and modern ambiance makes “Vice Market” such an addictive, hypnotic, irresistible collection of songs. Therefore, these experimentations with many different techniques, various approaches, and many complementary styles resulted in four songs suitable not only for loyal hard rock fans but anyone who appreciates cleverly assembled and flawlessly performed music.
Right with the initial notes and beats, it becomes apparent that these experienced musicians are not joking around. “Moonshine Alley” is a perfect introductory composition that vividly showcases their songwriting, composing, arranging, and producing abilities. You’ll immediately realize that these are musicians who have all the tools of the trade and previous experience earned by playing various music genres. The soulful vocal performance immediately grabs you by the collar and guides you on a journey through the expansive sonic universe built upon mesmerizing, fuzzy guitar works, intricate basslines, and groovy rhythmic patterns. Each instrument has its place and purpose, building an atmosphere that levitates between modern, fuzz distortion-drenched alternative rock and soulful retro-rock. On the other hand, Simon Frost showcases their broad music taste, as this song commences with a classic acoustic folk-rock overture, yet it almost immediately transforms into a colossal seventies hard rock showcase. Each segment brings an entirely different sonic experience, as the band floats between those two different yet complementary styles. The guitars deliver a comprehensive collection of catchy, memorable, engaging chord progressions, riffs, harmonies, and melodies, solos, while the equally impressive bass guitar rumble beneath all those guitar layers, delivering more heaviness, clarity, and depth, binding all the mentioned instrumentations together. The fascinating drumming performance makes this song ultimately a progressive rock experience, with all those beats, breaks, fills, accentuations, and all other percussive acrobatics keeping everything in line and offering groove and tempo. Captain Mantis calms things down with another excellent ballad, demonstrating all those jaw-dropping guitar interplays that gradually shape a psychedelic, otherworldly, ethereal listening experience. It’s one of the best acoustic rock tracks you’ll hear in a while. It seems like the songs pull you even deeper with every new segment approaching. Its hypnotic ambiance prepares you for what’s about to come up next. Captain Mantis has decided to close this majestic EP with a title track, a perfect demonstration of their power, creativity, talent, knowledge, and experience. Sung in the native Spanish language and empowered with traditional rhythmic patterns, it showcases Captain Mantis in a totally new shape. It’s a style that suits this trio so well that you’ll immediately think that would be their primary sonic direction. This track carries all those qualities that make this band so incredibly good. They incorporated Latin American musical influnces, especially in the way how guitars and drums articulate through every segments. The crystal clear chord progressions are heavily supported by heavily distored themes and leads, the bass guitar gives that more than necessary punch by delivering more profoundly heavy low-end notes while the drums explore all possible scenarious through many rhyhtmic virtuosities. It’s such a perfect closure of a fascinating EP release.
Captain Mantis has crafted a masterpiece that vividly demonstrates their ultimate power, experience, knowledge, skills, talent, and creativity. Through brilliant ideas and marvelous musicianship, they demonstrate how hard rock music can still sound fresh, unique, innovative, and exciting. It’s a magnificent debut release by superb musicians who know their sonic direction and know how to deliver it. Therefore, head to your favorite streaming platform and play it loud!
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