Mantar
Post Apocalyptic Depression
Metal Blade Records
There’s something so very powerful about a musical duo. Devoid of all extraneous frills, a sound is created that is so awe-inspiringly big it can barely be comprehended. That’s certainly the case with Mantar, a pair of sonic terrorists from Bremen who peddle a venomous brand of sludge metal. Like the unruly offspring of Darkthrone and Motörhead, their latest release is a blackened blast of extreme metal that finds these German hoodlums taking an 180-degree turn. Whilst their last album was ornate and richly textured, Post Apocalyptic Depression goes back to basics for a live-in-the-studio feel that pushes all the needles into the red. The whole aesthetic of this album is one of distillation; the songs were written and recorded in an ad hoc manner and Mantar prove themselves the ultimate editors by removing any excess fat. It is as if Mantar have deconstructed their sound and rebuilt it in a new form and subsequently songs such as ‘Absolute Ghost’ have their bones poking through the flesh; it’s emancipated, yet it is precisely this hunger that drives the album forward. It bristles with an energy previously only found on early crust punk releases and proves Post Apocalyptic Depression the cure for many ills.
Review by Peter Dennis.