Mantar - Post Apocalyptic Depression - review
Mantar - Post Apocalyptic Depression - review
Tracklist
01. Absolute Ghost02. Rex Perverso
03. Principle Of Command
04. Dogma Down
05. Morbid Vocation
06. Halsgericht
07. Pit Of Guilt
08. Church Of Suck
09. Two Choices Of Eternity
10. Face Of Torture
11. Axe Death Scenario
12. Cosmic Abortion
A review by
AndyMetalFreak February 21, 2025
Mantar (Turkish word for mushroom) is a German sludge duo consisting of Erinc Sakarya (drums/vocals) and Hanno Klänhard (guitars/vocals). Since their formation back in 2012, the band has only ever played with drums and a guitar, never featuring a bassist. Despite this, they still manage to achieve a sound that's often heavier than what most five-piece bands offer. Although their preference is not to be considered a sludge band, their style is primarily sludge-based, with doom, grunge, crust punk, and blackened elements also incorporated into their sound. Their main influences are Motörhead, Melvins, and early Darkthrone.
The band now introduce their sixth full-length instalment Post Apocalyptic Depression, which at just 35 minutes in length features 12 short ferocious tracks that this relentless duo put every ounce of their raw aggressive energy into. First, it's hard to believe the guitar work is performed by just one man. By focusing on heavy grunge feedback sounds above ferocious breakneck riffing, Klänhard certainly makes up for the absence of a bassist to play alongside. The riffs themselves vary between heavy sludge and doom grooves and traditional punk melodies, alongside ferocious black-tinged tremolos. On top of that, the powerful, crushing tone is close to resembling a bass guitar anyway. The drumming varies from rapid-fire frenzies to stylish grooves at a swift rate. Sakarya is a remarkable drummer and his performance fires on all cylinders here, which it needs to in order to keep up with the unrelenting guitar work. The duo share vocal duties; the lead style is semi-harsh and is backed up by punkish shouts, and both styles add a staggering amount of aggression.
In terms of songwriting, I can't say I've ever been blown away by what this duo have offered previously; I always found their general performance to outclass their actual songwriting capabilities. However, Post Apocalyptic Depression offers a much more solid all-round approach and enjoyable listen compared to their previous offering Pain Is Forever And This Is The End (2022). The energy and flow is unrelenting, the rhythm has non-stop headbanging grooves from the get-go, and the riffs are not only ridiculously heavy, but catchy, with enough variety to keep the listener hooked throughout. Out of the 12 songs, there are only 2 reaching over 4 minutes in length, both of which are arguably standout songs. "Halsgericht" is the first of this pair and makes for a genuine highlight due to its relentless groovy rhythm, catchy riffs, and blackened raw approach. The final song "Cosmic Abortion" is the longest featured, despite still barely crossing the 4-minute barrier, and is a memorable closer, highlighted for its ferocious razor sharp tremolos, and dirty but groovy blackened sludge approach.
Although Mantar are not entirely new to the scene, it's still hard to imagine that only 2 individuals are capable of creating such a powerful album like Post Apocalyptic Depression. It just comes to show that a drum kit, one guitar, and an amp is all that's needed for giving listeners that no-nonsense aggressive headbanging session they're looking for.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 8 |
| Songwriting: | 7 |
| Originality: | 7 |
| Production: | 8 |
Written on 21.02.2025 by
Written on 21.02.2025 by
An honest review that you don't necessarily have to agree with. Comments
Comments:
3
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Posts: 1178
This isn’t an album that’s pushing any boundaries or aiming for an artistic experience, just solid riff-driven metal that’s aggressive and fun. I think they nailed it here! Almost every album fits into some subgenre, but this is one of those that has elements of a lot of things but doesn’t really belong to anything. Just handsome metal that goes hard. Good review Andy, I’d never listened to this band before and didn’t know they were a two piece but that’s even cooler!
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Posts: 6683 Written by Vellichor on 21.02.2025 at 20:37 Thanks  I was also surprised when I discovered they were only a duo, you'd assume it was a foursome with how much noise they create.
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Posts: 7941 Written by Vellichor on 21.02.2025 at 20:37 I remember listening to the debut album back in '16 and I wasn't blown away seeing an absolute flood of phenomenal sludge releases in subsequent years with my top picks the likes of Paradise Gallows, Fires Within Fires and N.V. [Collaboration]N.V. I lost touch ever since. Andy touched a fairly good points, but I don't think these developments will sway me.
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