April 4, 2014

Mantar - Death By Burning

Written by Ulla Roschat.


Death By Burning is Mantar’s first full length album (released Feb.2014 through Svart Records). It follows up their 7” single which quasi was the teaser for this album. It worked with me for it got me hooked immediately, and I couldn't wait for the album to come out.

And it didn't disappoint me. Death By Burning is packed with more of Mantar's addictive grooves and unique style of doomy, black, evil, dirty rock that destroys you faster than you can turn your head to wonder that only two guys with guitar, drums and vocals are able to bring that special broad grin (you know that grin) to your face with which you enjoy your own annihilation.

Just like a horde of ghostly pirates these two guys from Hamburg/Germany attack with sharp, precise and hard-hitting weapons, such as pummeling drums, huge guitar riffs, gritty shouting vocals that add a haunting hysterical insanity to the overall viciousness.

They take doom, punk, rock’n roll, black metal and what not (I don't dare say the s-word, I know they don't like it, but there are traces of that detectable), create a wild, intense mix of all that and ten songs that are tight and straight in structure, thick and heavy in sound. They feed them with aggression and passion and then they hurl them directly into your face. There’s nothing dispensable and nothing missing. Above all they play off each other incredibly well, you could think they do it like forever, which they do not, they are quite young as a band. All that makes their attack so effective and efficient (and efficiency is a dear value, when the number of band members is low).

Last but not least the ten songs of Death by Burning are of a bracing diversity that adds to the joy of getting attacked and slaughtered by those ghost pirates aka Mantar for 45 minutes. I caught myself even at turning the record or hitting the play button way more than once.... with that special broad grin on my face.


[Go to the post to view the Bandcamp player]

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