A little silence, and now it’s time for Mantar!
Hanno (guitar/vocals) and Erinc (drums/vocals) took a little longer than usual, but here at last is Post Apocalyptic Depression, their sixth album, still in collaboration with Metal Blade Records.
Absolute Ghost gets straight to the heart of the matter with thick riffs and a heavy atmosphere that the duo almost constantly keeps, adding their usual unhealthy vocal parts. The rhythm remains catchy, as it is on Rex Perverso, where the raw groove easily stays in the head, accompanied by its persistent dissonance and Punk roots, then we continue with the strange sounds of Principle of Command, which doesn’t hesitate to offer us slow, crushing patterns in addition to its noisy harmonics. The unifying finale takes us to Dogma Down, where we discover a livelier side to this Sludge, almost joyful at times, but Morbid Vocation quickly takes over, bringing us back to the muddy path and offering a rather foggy sound. There’s a short respite before Halsgericht begins, a composition that at first seems slightly more accessible, but the saturation comes back stronger to crush us in its turn, only calming down to make way for Pit of Guilt and its motivating patterns. A few backing vocals accompany the chaos and screaming sounds, then Church of Suck pours out its own raw, almost stripped-down energy, based on a simple but effective rhythmic pattern, before setting fire to the relatively similar Two Choices of Eternity. The final is quite different, offering a stifling heady sound, but Face of Torture follows suit to offer Noise-oriented elements in addition to its usual grease, something also found on Axe Death Scenario, the following track, in addition to its unexpected explosive waves. The psychedelic final gives way to Cosmic Abortion, a final composition in which the driving rhythmic base cooperates with unexpected elements, bringing the album to a close with a few surprises.
Mantar is a bit of a Sludge brat, remaining dirty while allowing itself all sorts of more or less energetic fantasies. Post Apocalyptic Depression remains a little more surprising than its predecessors, but it’s probably best brought to life live!
75/100