Alien Ant Farm

One might think they know Alien Ant Farm. Far from it. Almost a decade after their last album "Always And Forever" (2014), the alternative metal quartet from Southern California – singer Dryden Mitchell, guitarist Terry Corso, bassist Timmy P, and drummer Mike Cosgrove – returns with "~mAntras~". An album that not only shatters all prejudices about the band but also impressively catapults them back to the center of the music world.

The sixth studio album of the band, founded in 1996, is shaped by personal changes and maturation processes, representing something like a new beginning for such an old band – without denying the past. On the contrary: "~mAntras~" is a profound, contemplative work that has emerged from numerous trials and tribulations. The songs take the listener not only on a musical journey but, as the title suggests, also on a personal and spiritual one.

After such a long break without new material, Alien Ant Farm had a lot to catch up on. In fact, they had already recorded four songs years earlier – including the 2020 released Wham! cover "Everything She wAnts" – but then the pandemic brought everything to a halt.

"When the song came out back then," Mitchell recalls, "the idea was to just keep pushing forward. But life got in the way. We had a falling out with our producer, and I personally was drinking a lot and just unhappy with my life. It might sound dramatic, but I felt like I needed to figure things out on my own first. Normally, you rely on friends during such phases, but being in a band is a bit like being in a marriage. I’m not exactly sure what bothered me; I don't want to blame the band, but I just needed some distance to get back on my feet. If I’m not good for myself, I’m not good for anyone else. So we took a break – and in hindsight, that was the best decision because we came back much stronger with a clear head. We just had to hit the reset button."

"A lot of crap happened during those years," Corso adds. "We had early success and are fortunately still here. The band has experienced extreme setbacks, and this album is the result – basically the soundtrack to that."

Since their breakthrough in 2001 with "Movies" and the legendary Michael Jackson cover "Smooth Criminal," Alien Ant Farm has been through a lot, but the time between "Always And Forever" and "~mAntras~" was particularly tough. It's no surprise that much of this is reflected in the eleven songs.

"Growing up, divorce, kids, family, death, band breaks, bus accidents, surgeries, illnesses, recovery – it’s all in this album," says Corso. "It’s literally the product of all the damn stuff, both good and bad, that we’ve gone through."

All of this has been channeled into the band's most confident and self-assured album to date ("From crap grow the most beautiful flowers," jokes Mitchell). After the false start, they seamlessly continued as soon as they were ready – and suddenly found themselves full of energy and inspiration again. Older, wiser, and no longer trying to please the music industry, they were finally able to be 100% themselves on this album.

They kept the four previously recorded songs ("The Wrong Things," "Storms Over," "What Am I Doing?" and the Wham! cover) and produced the remaining seven tracks themselves in drummer Cosgrove's home studio.

"Not having to go to L.A. was great," says Mitchell. "Sure, it’s fun to drop everything and record an album somewhere else – we’ve done that often enough. But just working at home in a familiar environment with people you feel comfortable with meant a lot to us."

You can hear that comfort in the songs. Right from the opener "The Wrong Things" with its hypnotic, sensual groove and the mix of emotional lyrical anxiety and psychedelic instrumental layers, it shows: This is an album that lives up to its title – a series of mantras that reach deep into the soul and simultaneously want to tear it apart. Just listen to "Last dAntz" (much more painful than the title suggests) or the infectious self-flagellation piece "So Cold" with its fascinating prog-rock influences.

Prog is indeed one of the defining influences of this album – and yes, the band stands by it.

"For a band that covered 'Smooth Criminal,' we’re actually a pretty crazy prog act," laughs Mitchell. "If you dig a little deeper into a few songs, some really good stuff comes out."

"Longevity is now our luxury," says Corso. "It gives us the freedom to do all the things we want to do. We can pursue our prog inclinations and move musically in ways that feel good to us – without chasing any trends."

You can hear that freedom everywhere: in the catchy arena rock of "No. 1," in the reggae-infused soul pain of "What Am I Doing?", in the airy, melancholic acoustic number "Glasses," or in the freshly polished Wham! cover. "~mAntras~" stands for true artistic freedom, for shedding expectations, and for the resurgence of a tight-knit group of friends who have been through thick and thin together – and who stand stronger than ever nearly ten years later.

All of this culminates in the title track. As the name suggests, "~mAntras~" is a constantly evolving mantra that not only captures the spirit of the album but condenses almost three decades of band history into one song.

"When I wrote the song, I thought: What if we just pack the entire band history into three minutes?" Mitchell recounts. "It was a lot of fun and very emotional at the same time. In the end, I was crying while recording it. I slightly altered the melodies of the old songs, but there are easily 20 older Alien Ant Farm songs in there. That was really cool."

"It was also really therapeutic," says Cosgrove, "just as mantras are supposed to be in a spiritual sense. On this album, we healed across the board."

"We knew we had to heal," Corso adds, "but we had no idea how far we could go. And where we are now is just amazing – we’re running on all four cylinders, everyone is motivated, happy, and ready to finally bring this music out into the world."