CoC : Tchort & The Family Mantis - Nightside of Eden : Review

Tchort & The Family Mantis - _Nightside of Eden_
(Independent, 1996)
by: Adrian Bromley (9 out of 10)

I may be going out on a limb by saying this, I may be right or I may be wrong, hell even Gino may agree with me - who knows? But the fact of the matter is that Toronto doom metal act Tchort & the Family Mantis' debut CD, _Nightside of Eden_, may just be the record that England's Cathedral should have made this year. Anyone hate me yet? [Cathedral sucks, Tchort rules - Alain] While I may be a big Cathedral fan, and I love the new record _Supernatural Birth Machine_, I find that the new sound of Cathedral lacks the stomp and forceful grind that earlier releases like _The Ethereal Mirror_ or EP _Cosmic Requiem_ had. Listen to the monstrous Black Sabbath/Cathedral riffs of opener "Tantric Dream Fish" and you are already in heaven. Thick, rough exteriored and downright abrasive, the 10-song album (made up of six new songs and four from their 1995 demo _Ace of Shrooms_) sounds amazing due to many key ingredients: 1) singer/guitarist Eric Coucke's raspy snarls, 2) guitarist Les Godfrey's killer riffs and 3) producer Rob Sanzo's (Mundane/Solus) help. _NoE_ is not only a strong-riffed concoction of songs, but also a psychedelic ride of sorts into the world of Tchort, a world that believes deeply in one's imagination taking control. Get fried with "Fly Agaric", "Godeater"or the cool "Wonderland War March", or subdued by the rather potent "Satan Love Boogie". Either stoned or sober (the first choice more likely to gain odder results), there is no doubt in my mind that Tchort's _NoE_ is one of the brightest debut albums I have heard in a while. Get down and dirty with Tchort - you'll love it.

(article published 4/2/1997)