Song of the day: “Era Borealis” by Mantar
Mantar is a German sludge/black metal band formed in 2012 by drummer Erinc and guitarist Hanno, both vocalists as well. Their initial proposal was oriented towards sludge metal, as demonstrated by their debut album Death By Burning, published in 2014 via Svart Records, although it has evolved towards something darker and denser, mixing their initial proposal with raw and direct black metal as well. demonstrates their latest album to date, Pain Is Forever And This Is The End released in 2022 through Metal Blade Records.
His proposal has caught my attention in recent months and I have been captivated by his combination of musical elements such as those that can be found in his third album The Modern Art Of Setting Ablaze (2018) or in his EP The Spell (2017 ), although my favorite Mantar album remains the tremendous Ode To The Flame from 2016, released by Nuclear Blast. Ten great songs give life to this interesting album where there is a great variety of proposals assembled in the most personal way and that give the work as a whole a solid packaging.
Era Borealis is also my favorite Mantar song, a perfect fusion of the most extreme sludge with some shoegaze offshoots and a rather stoner base, all seasoned with a promiscuous black metal that was already beginning to appear at that time. Era Borealis are four minutes of pure protest nihilism that reaches its peak with a very catchy chorus where you can hear the following phrase: “This is era borealis, this is death über alles“, a true declaration of intent on the part of its two members. Here it is also worth highlighting the great production by the vocalist and guitarist Hanno Klänhardt as well as that of the producer and mixer Timo Höcke (The Moth, Downfall Of Gaia).