Manticora opens a new chapter in their history.
Three and a half years after closing their last diptych, Lars F. Larsen (vocals, ex-Fear Itself), Kristian H. Larsen (guitar, ex-Fear Itself), Kasper Gram (bass, Killing Gandhi) and Stefan Johansson (guitar) announce the release of Mycelium, their tenth album, on Mighty Music, mastered by Jacob Hansen (Aborted, Arch Enemy, Cyhra, Delain…).
The album opens with the quietude of Winter Solstice, quickly annihilated by the melodious but relatively sharp saturation. Epic influences complemented in turn by clear vocals and ominous backing vocals are also part of the adventure from the start of Necropolitans, the following track, which lets the band run wild while exploring their palette of energetic sounds. The charge immediately picks up again with Demonday, where the vocalist offers us almost lyrical flights of fancy, creating an intense contrast with the virulent riffs launched at full speed, as well as a few eruptions of darkness. The atmosphere immediately softens with the soothing Angel Of The Spring, where the band lets its harmonics fly over a slow majestic rhythm occasionally punctuated by a few more intense and heavy passages before returning to its virulent Thrash roots on Golem Sapiens, the next composition. Double kick and motivating vocals reappear to support the more massive passages, before allowing a catchy groove and a strange break to emerge. Then the band adopts with Mycelium, the eponymous track, diversified inspirations to create an airy sound that effortlessly carries us through its luminous layers. Beast Of The Fall sees the return of a few saturated vocal parts to complement the rhythm and accompany the track’s darker passages, before the musicians grant us a respite with Equinox, a two-minute rocking instrumental with soothing keyboards. The album continues with Mementopolis, a track where Prog influences mix with heaviness, savage aggression and dark elements to build diversity while remaining coherent. The six minutes of explosive creativity lead into the equally captivating Día De Los Muertos, the final composition that boasts a handful of extra seconds to couple its jerky riffs with a unifying approach that hits the nail on the head until the storm-ridden final.
Manticora continues to diversify its influences, offering Mycelium catchy, intense Melodic Death elements that complement the ferocity of their Progressive Metal and the epic tones of their Power Metal basis.
95/100