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I’ve heard much positive buzz regarding Manticora, that as of late have been gaining quite the cult following within the Power metal community.. I’ve heard everything from “They’re a cool new power metal band that adds in the atmosphere and complicated ideas of prog-metal and the aggression and speed of early speed metal” to “They’re the revolutionary new face of the power metal genre”. I agree with the former, more than the latter. Manticora are indeed modern euro-power metal, with sprinklings of modern prog-metal(like latter day Dream Theater or Time Machine) and a smattering of heavy, aggressive, in-your-face fast parts that does remind one at times of early thrash metal(like Metallica’s Kill ‘Em All or Megadeth’s Killing is My Business) but more so of early speed metal (a la Helloween’s The Walls of Jericho, Running Wild’s Gates to Purgatory or Blind Guardian’s Battalions of Fear. And even though it does have prog influences, it’s not out and out power/prog. We’re not dealing with Symphony X here.
Ok, so we have a decent idea about how 8 Deadly Sins sounds like, but how are the songs? Overall, it’s a decent album with a couple extraordinary songs, while the rest, while good, just seems rather by numbers and gets boring after a while. Now, don’t get me wrong, this is a good album, and it’s almost worth checking out for the song “Playing God” ALONE, it’s just that this really isn’t the “revolutionary new face of the power metal genre” that I was led to believe that this was. And I must confess, aside from the aforementioned powerhouse that is “Playing God”, the rest of the album had to grow on me for a while.
However, the musicianship is top-notch. The singer is great, and has an almost Hansi Kursch vibe to him, while at the same time stands on his own merits. The guitars are tight, heavy and have a sharp sound to them. The riffs are well crafted and not too simple, while at the same time, not overly complex, either. The drums are fast and definitely get the job done here, while the bass pulsea, throbs and rumbles, adding to the overall heaviness of the album and compliments the drums quite well. And that brings me to the production, which is very well done. You can hear everything quite well, and it doesn’t sacrifice one iota of heaviness to get it done, either. Top notch production here, folks.
So, overall, if you like your European power metal and you’re looking for something new and fresh, though not quite revolutionary, this gets the job done. Just keep in mind that it is a grower, so it might take a while to sink in fully. I don’t even know if it’s fully sunk in for me yet.
| Tracklist |
| 1. If? |
| 2. King Of The Absurd |
| 3. Playing God |
| 4. Melancholic |
| 5. Creator Of Failure |
| 6. It Feels Like The End |
| 7. Enigma |
| 8. Fall From Grace |
| 9. Help Me Like No One Can |
| 10. If, Then… |
: 54.53
| Buy other Manticora albums |
