Mantric is the first new band to come across my desk in months that has a genuinely unique sound. The best way to describe their sound would be technically proficient metalcore with progressive influences. Don’t mistake this upcoming Norwegian band for a Between the Buried and Me or The Dillinger Escape Plan clone based off that description. Mantric has carved out its own style in this small but growing genre.
Guitarists Tor Magne Glidje and Ole Halvard Sveen along with bassist John Robert Mjåland formed Mantric after their previous band Extol was put on hold. Extol was as notable for its technical playing and altogether solid musicianship as it was notorious among metal fans for being a Christian band going head-to-head in a genre typically saturated with anti-religious lyrics. Mantric retains the top notch musicianship but has a style all in its own. The band has also dropped the Christian themes in favor of a more encompassing general spiritual message.
Mantric’s debut The Descent has a cohesiveness many progressive extreme metal bands have lacked. The band transitions fluidly between heavy, crushing riffs to somber, quiet passages and to catchy clean singing eloquently. Nothing sounds out of place or random. Bands who have been around for 10+ years will wish they could have crafted the formula Mantric has forged with this album.
The album starts with an atmospheric, instrumental piece that sets the mood for the album. Following this is the opener “Tower of Silence” which gives the listener a good sample of the spectrum this album will be going through. It opens heavy and fast, sounding somewhat reminiscent of older Mastodon but continues to evolve as the track progresses, bending genres as Mantric sees fit but always feeling coherent. The next two tracks are heavy, shorter, straighter forward tracks that lull the listener into a semblance of similarity. After this comes the major turning point, “Spear of Heaven”, a six-and-a-half minute track that is heavy, melodic, and full of catchy riffs that culminates in a violin passage followed by atmospheric ambience leading into the rest of the album. “Cognitive Cocaine” is a transitional, airy sounding song that blends mandolin passages into heavy riffs. The rest of the songs maintain a balanced blend of several styles until the closing track “Uro”, an instrumental that manages to sound both heavy and somber.
Mantric isn’t just a band to look out for in the future, they’re a band to look into now. The Descent is being released by Prosthetic Records on April 20th. Check your favorite music store or stay tuned here on KJACK to hear the latest from Mantric.
Recommended If You Like: Opeth, The Ocean, Between the Buried and Me, Porcupine Tree
Recommended Tracks: “Alihorn”, “Tower of Silence”, “The Invasion”, “Spear of Heaven”
Further Information: Mantric's Offical Myspace, Mantric on Prosthetic Records
