To quote its biography, Mantiis is a conceptual album “based upon a violent crime and its dramatic repercussions, featuring a single song divided into 14 tracks that flow through different genres.”
Over the course of almost 47 minutes, a chunk of which are vocal-free, the Barcelona-based band responsible proceed to drag us kicking and screaming through a spectrum of moods. From the bleak, eerie opening strains of Not Yet Five to the sweeping soundscapes of And Then It Was, it’s an absorbing journey, though only recommended for those with patience. For the most part heaviness is merely implied and not demonstrated, hovering above proceedings like a pocket of gloomy despair, though Through The Glass and the crushing Cinnamon Balls pack a mighty punch, and the quintet unleash a fetid blast of black metal with Last Of The Light. Originally self-released two years ago, Mantiis is an album to keep the listener on their toes, and it’ll be interesting to hear whether these standards are maintained on a successor that’s currently being recorded.
Via Season Of Mist
