Praying Mantis -The Journey Goes On fan review

The Journey Goes On reviewed by Richard Clancy on Mon 05/24/04 21:08 BST

Having seen a couple of ok, but fairly average, reviews of this album in the music press I was a bit concerned that the departure of Tony and Bruce might have had an adverse effect on the band. I need not have worried. This is as good, if not better, than both of its predecessors (the great Forever in Time and Nowhere in Time) and is crammed full of the trademark Mantis riffs and melodies. The overall style and feel of this album is a bit different to their previous releases and it takes more than one listen to fully appreciate the quality of the songwriting. However, to my mind this is always the sign of a great album. "The Journey Goes On" kicks off with "Tonight", a typical melodic and rocking Mantis track that anyone who has heard them before will recognise. The next four tracks took me a couple of plays to fully appreciate, but having heard them several times they stand up really well. "Hold on for Love" is a real belter of a song and is one of my personal favourites on the album. Another highlight for me is "Lost World", which has a cracking guitar break. Having the lead vocals shared between Doogie White and John Sloman works really well with great performances by both of them. The Mantis lads share the vocals on the title track and Chris Troy takes over on his own for "If Tomorrow Never Comes". I must also mention the contribution of "guest" drummer Martin Johnson who really adds something to the proceedings. All in all this is a wonderful album.

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Last Modified On 21 Mar 2009