Mentobe

Released in 1998, Mentobe serves as a critical bridge in Taproot's early discography, following their debut '...Something More Than Nothing' and preceding their final independent full-length 'Upon Us'. This EP is a quintessential artifact of the late-90s Midwestern underground metal circuit. Musically, it showcases the band's developing 'hypnotic' sound - a blend of syncopated, Deftones-influenced riffing and Alice In Chains-style vocal stacking. The production is notably raw, lacking the compression of their later Atlantic Records releases, which allows the individual performances to feel more dynamic and volatile. Critics at the time, particularly within the burgeoning online metal community like theprp.com, noted the band's potential to transcend the 'nu-metal' label through their superior melodic sensibilities. The tracks 'Comeback' and 'Mirror's Reflection' are central to the band's history, appearing in various forms across three different early releases, marking this EP as a definitive collection of their formative songwriting era.