Nema te ni za lijek, Manntra!
Are you ready for some really different metal? It is not industrial metal and it is not gothic metal. Neither is it power metal nor symphonic metal. Instead, it is a unique mix of all these genres combined with a good portion of folk metal, folkloric Croatian influences and catchy melodies! Welcome to Manntra’s War Of The Heathens presented by NoCut Entertainment!
The Tour
Manntra introduce their recent album “War Of The Heathens”, which was already released in September 2023. The tour kicks off on 14th March at Kesselhaus in Wiesbaden, the smaller venue of the legendary Schlachhof. Nearly a dozen locations follow for now, Among them are Rockfact in Münchenstein, Cassiopeia in Berlin and Tvornica in Zagreb. The tour will end on 21st April at Helios37 in Cologne. More dates are sure to be confirmed throughout the year. Here is the link to the tour kick-off report.
Here are some impressions from past shows
Eisheilige Nacht, Giessen, December 2023
Manntra, headline show, Frankfurt, November 2022
Short review of “War Of The Heathens” to whet your appetite
Between Metal and Folk
Surprisingly, there is no short intro at the beginning, which so many bands use nowadays. Instead we get a pound of full and powerful industrial metal with “Hunter”. It features a nice female backing chorus during the chorus and everything else we know from Manntra. “Morana” sounds more folkloristic but no less catchy. “Et in Peccatum” as the third song presents Manntra’s style to perfection. “Blackmoon” is a kind of pop-metal song, but not bad. It is not a single, but also not a filler, because it fits well.
More Metal?
“Domain” is more brutal, the guitar riffs are industrial metal killers, brutal and rough, but catchy enough to dance to during a live show. “The Witch of St. Vincent” is a very traditional song with typical Croatian instruments next to the usual metal battle axes that create an infernal third part of the song. “The Call of Strigun” is quite heavy again. If mixed differently it could easily be an even heavier song, but Manntra manage to keep it in the tempo of the album and even add some folkloristic parts again.
Or More Folk?
Then it is time to “Feed the Beast” with a female choir and a slightly faster song. Catchy and inviting as always, do I need to say more? “The Long March” starts slowly and ends quickly, it is just a one minute interlude. It works well as an intro to “War of the Heathens”, the album’s title track. Once again it is a song that shows Manntra at their best! This is the sound they have created and we love them for it “Starkind” closes the album. It is perhaps the slowest song, like a wanderer of the stars coming to rest. You could almost call it the ballad of the album.
Both of it on equal level
Manntra prove once again that they are one of the most productive and hardest working metal bands. Nine releases in twelve years with a live album out in March speak for themselves. And they keep up the pace and quality, so get ready to enjoy these new songs live!
The Tour Support
Manntra are supported by Florian Grey. Don’t be fooled, this is a three-piece combo and not a solo artist, even if the name suggests it. Florian Grey fuse hard music like rock and gothic with pop melancholic depth. Sometimes it is so catchy that listening to a track just once is enough to make you hum the melody for days.
And Special Guests
Special guests Soulbound present their interpretation of modern and dark industrial and gothic metal. Catchy melodies mix with dystopian and socially critical lyrics. So be curious what will happen!
Will we meet?
Get your tickets here and maybe we will meet in front of Marko M. Sekulon on lead vocals, Dorian “Dodo” Pavlović on guitar, Zoltan Lecei on bass, drummer Andrea Kert and… the Barren King. Stay tuned to find out who that personality is.
Online:
Please buy merch and physical music or downloads from the bands official sources and don’t stream it for free because it steals your artists’ income.
Proofreading by DeepL