our mantra
Question: What would Ozric Tentacles sound like if Ed Wynne was a metalhead?
Answer: Probably not far off vexmantra!
Instrumental heavy rock laced with metal, prog, psychedelic and electronic, we take all our influences and create the music we love to play. Heavy riffs, melodies, grooves, synth noises, sounds and visuals.
The band was formed in late 2021 and is based in Hampshire, UK.
Colin Dickens – Drums, Samples & Visuals
Influenced by everything from Zeppelin, Floyd, to Underworld and The Prodigy, Colin loves to play hypnotic grooves that ebb, flow and erupt.
Music is the \great escape/
Colin plays a vintage 4 piece Pearl Export kit. A minimalist kit because big kits confuse him, too much choice of what to hit next! Synth, sounds and visuals are synchronised using drum triggers, so we can play freely and the samples follow us.
Mike “bas” Kloch – Bass
A death metal connoisseur originally from Poland, Mike’s background in the nastiest of metal genres combines with his appreciation for many types of music, allowing the band’s material to range from crushing riffs to beautiful melodic passages.
Mike has also made the critical mistake of allowing his quote to be written by the other members of the band…
Lubię grać na basie. To jest zabawa. I głośno. Lubię głośny bas.
Mike plays a 5 string Ibanez Soundgear series bass through a Darkglass Microtubes B7K preamp straight into the PA! Easy!
Tom Dicks – Guitars
Tom grew up on an eclectic mix of prog rock, metal, classical, and plenty in between. Tom likes playing interesting riffs that dance around a beat, with the occasional guitar solo thrown in for good measure. Rock ‘n’ roll!
Music has been my lifelong passion and is my main creative outlet. I get a tremendous amount of enjoyment from writing and performing, especially with these guys!
Tom has a page about his live gear here.
Special Thanks
vexmantra has worked with some fantastic people and we wish to recognise their contributions!
Dave Herridge
Dave was on bass from late 2021 to early 2023. Dave’s unique approach to bass made a huge impact to the band’s early sound, and his riffs feature heavily on Shake, Into the Chaos, Bad Trip, and Dead Batteries.