Praying Mantis - Time Tells No Lies
#682
By Mark Wagner
1981 Housekeeping
Praying Mantis
Time Tells No Lies
Genre: NWOBHM
Allen’s Rating: 4 out of 5
Mark’s Rating: 4 out of 5
Highlight:
Children of the Earth
This freshman entry for the sibling band Praying Mantis clocks in at 9 songs with a total playtime of 39:04. The engineer was Mike Shipley, who engineered some of the 80s and 90s biggest names, including Def Leppard, Scorpions, Vixen, Ratt, The Cars, Devo, and Flock of Seagulls to name a few. The album art designed by Rodney Matthews (Thin Lizzy, Magnum, Rick Wakeman, Asia, Hawkwind). Signed to Arista Records after supporting Iron Maiden on tour. Praying Mantis was/is known as an early influencer for the New Wave of British Heavy Metal (NWOBHM) using a twin guitar approach with harmonies and melodies.
The album kicks off with the teenage feeling blue song “Cheated”. A song about the loss of love. “I’ve seen darkness/ I’ve seen the light / I felt the pain, oh the pain / In the dead of the night”. The twin guitars kick off with a catchy melody, have perfect harmonies, and radio-friendly. I’m not too sure how this song did not end up in an 80s movie.
Next up the band take their turn with Kink’s “All Day and All of the Night”. This version would make any bar band proud. Feel like I should have a Miller Champaign of Beer in hand yelling/singing along with my best air guitar impression.
The next 3 songs Running for Tomorrow, Rich City Kids, and Lovers to the Grave all showcase the band’s musicianship with more melody, harmonies, and well-constructed songs. Song’s themes range from the demon’s on a train, upper-class privilege to stay alive, and forever love.
Panic in the Streets kicks off side 2. If you wanted a song about vampires wanting freedom and willing to fight for it - this is your song. Two great very different guitar solos in the song with a quick rhythmic ending that sounds like feet running.
“Beads of Ebony” and “Flirting with Suicide” are up next, and very similar to the previous 6 songs. I’ve listened to this album many times, and at this point, I’m at the “I’ve heard this in the previous 6 songs” stage. I am at the fridge to see what I can have as a snack while these two songs wrap up.
The album wrap-up song “Children of the Earth” has attained over 1.9 million plays on Spotify. This is a song that fits nicely to the NWOBHM genre - mythical death, souring driving guitar, tapping guitar solos, a true show closer - Death and destruction / Has ruined our lives / But now it's the end as mankind truly dies / For we are children of the earth / Orphans of the universe.
The band would break up shortly after this album due to management conflict. They were dropped by Arista Records, and without the big label support, the band floundered. Praying Mantis has had a resurgence in Japan in the early 90s that is still there today. New albums released and more tours since then. This includes a Full Concert release from a 1995 tour in Japan that can be found on YouTube - Praying Mantis - Captured Alive In Tokyo City.
The Spotify album has a bonus track “High Roller” that could be a Kansas song. This one confuses me a bit.
https://open.spotify.com/album/4LXymJcEmn1Hw9GmfEqmem?si=dogG5xJLTBSjnhmjsiYcbA
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