Mars Mantra
From Pain I Rise
Talheim Records
I thought I already heard it all but music never stops surprising...
Here`s Ukrainian band playing raw and atmospheric type of black metal.
If believe in telekinesis, then black metal songs of this band are flammable (...vocals...), however, music doe not sound like something I did not come across before in a world of heavy metal. A big plus of the album is music diversity; no songs really sound the same in this album. The band plays harsh and extreme in a way but you can get a sense of what they are about in the music pretty easily. Mars Mantra takes influences from many black metal sub-genres by serving songs that fuse depressive black metal with ambience (Mirrors Of Failure), black metal with choirs and orchestrations (early Cradle Of Filth) which roughly sound like pre-symphonic black metal (Psychotic War). There`s groovy, fast and chaotic song Hope(less), also slower, groovy “balladish”black metal track Trapped Within Nightmares which involves primitively played guitars that you can hear toward the end of the song (early Pandemonium, early Samael). Grim and furious track is Devastation, and very tense, mournful song is entitled My Requiem. Last track Obsession is completely out of blue, industrial, punky and heavy track which does not sound stylistically like a song of this record.
...Mars Mantra is a female fronted band and this is where the surprise comes from in the music. Two types of vocals here- clean, melodic singing - nothing out of ordinary, but those extreme vocals sound so insane, so grotesque and theatrical, so with a sense of great pain and constant struggle, with emotions that cannot be tamed so the energy just burst out of speakers. Xasthuriaths hell-screams sound awesome and original in this album. So, the heart of this band are vocals and keyboards, beside these, songs have audible bass tracks and dark guitar tuning. Black metal sound of the band is lifeless underneath, creeps in, and lures you to the dead (Chernobyl mentioned in one of the songs). I like these contrasts (raw black metal/orchestrations/odd ambience/vocal variations) they created in their songs by which the music of the band can be better recognizable.
Other similar band: Psychonaut
Here`s Ukrainian band playing raw and atmospheric type of black metal.
If believe in telekinesis, then black metal songs of this band are flammable (...vocals...), however, music doe not sound like something I did not come across before in a world of heavy metal. A big plus of the album is music diversity; no songs really sound the same in this album. The band plays harsh and extreme in a way but you can get a sense of what they are about in the music pretty easily. Mars Mantra takes influences from many black metal sub-genres by serving songs that fuse depressive black metal with ambience (Mirrors Of Failure), black metal with choirs and orchestrations (early Cradle Of Filth) which roughly sound like pre-symphonic black metal (Psychotic War). There`s groovy, fast and chaotic song Hope(less), also slower, groovy “balladish”black metal track Trapped Within Nightmares which involves primitively played guitars that you can hear toward the end of the song (early Pandemonium, early Samael). Grim and furious track is Devastation, and very tense, mournful song is entitled My Requiem. Last track Obsession is completely out of blue, industrial, punky and heavy track which does not sound stylistically like a song of this record.
...Mars Mantra is a female fronted band and this is where the surprise comes from in the music. Two types of vocals here- clean, melodic singing - nothing out of ordinary, but those extreme vocals sound so insane, so grotesque and theatrical, so with a sense of great pain and constant struggle, with emotions that cannot be tamed so the energy just burst out of speakers. Xasthuriaths hell-screams sound awesome and original in this album. So, the heart of this band are vocals and keyboards, beside these, songs have audible bass tracks and dark guitar tuning. Black metal sound of the band is lifeless underneath, creeps in, and lures you to the dead (Chernobyl mentioned in one of the songs). I like these contrasts (raw black metal/orchestrations/odd ambience/vocal variations) they created in their songs by which the music of the band can be better recognizable.
Other similar band: Psychonaut
Tracklist:
1. Mirrors Of Failure
2. Hope(less)
3. Devastation
4. Trapped Within Nightmares
5. Psychotic War
6. My Requiem
7. Obsession
1. Mirrors Of Failure
2. Hope(less)
3. Devastation
4. Trapped Within Nightmares
5. Psychotic War
6. My Requiem
7. Obsession
Review by Slawek Migacz
Added: 01.08.2020
Added: 01.08.2020
Order at:
Talheim records
Talheim records
