Review Summary: I don’t care if this was a fluke and neither should you.
This album having only a small cult following comprised of aging metal heads, borders on the grounds of Hubris, but I am going to contain myself and not rate this as a five, even if hyperbole may provide the means to an end (The end being you giving this album a try, not the Doors version… hmm, on second thought - maybe both).
Btw do you know what does a semi - unknown NWOBMM (M for melodic) band, has in common with the Doors?
They were both quite fond of the Kinks, and while Jim admitted that the Doors ‘borrowed’ the opening riff of ‘All day and All of the night’ for their own ‘Hello I love you’, Praying Mantis simply made a cover of the tune. Furthermore, they are both connected in a way to Aldus Leonard Huxley. I think there’s no need to discuss the name of Jim Morrison’s band in relation to Huxley’s novel. I will expand though on observations they both made (Huxley and Praying Mantis) over the subject of death.
In his last novel ‘Island’ (the utopian counterpart of ‘Brave new World’) Huxley made philosophical observations through the eyes of his characters, over the sight of two Gongylus gongyloides (aka Mantides, aka Praying Mantis) mating. The band Praying Mantis simply - and I realise, it is plausible that the Troy brothers weren’t familiar with Huxley's work - made literal observations regarding the mating process of these insects... mainly sympathising with the male counterpart.
HOW ***ing cool is that?
Avoiding the cliché of including a self titled track on their debut album the band decided to include one named ‘Flirting with suicide’ (and though Jim tried to avoid rock clichés he couldn’t help naming his life after the same title).
Hopefully, you've realised that I won’t go track by track, and you'd better realise that these above remarks are the only thing Praying Mantis and the Doors have in common. At the end of the day lizards, rank higher up the food chain than Mantides and thank God - Praying Mantis (the band) doesn’t sound suicidal in this one.
Granted, the above hint that this album is all about simplicity and every day stuff (with a twist maybe going as far as critiquing humanity's part on earths eco-disaster), but if you believe that the notion of simplicity is always a direct result of plainness or simple mindedness (you don’t like punk huh?), well… I do not concur (because I do). This is pure, awesome rock & roll with adhesion on melody.
You don’t have to be a metal head with adhesion towards the new wave of British heavy metal scene (aesthetically they sound more American than British tbh) in order to enjoy this. Any aficionado of great rock music can fall in love with this record, and I would go as far as adding: try replacing the riffs of tracks like ‘Rich city Kids’ or ‘Panic in the streets’ with power chords, then hand-on-hart tell me if these tracks couldn’t fit in an '80s Ramones album. Unique in numerous ways, give this album a spin and you won’t regret it.
