Mantic Ritual // Review
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CD: Executioner Released: 27 February 2009 |
Young American thrashers Mantic Ritual originally put out this album independently in 2007 under their previous moniker of Meltdown (which they changed to Mantic Ritual to avoid confusion with several other bands with the same name) and it caught the ear of someone at Nuclear Blast who are releasing this version that was re-recorded by none other than famed producer Andy Classen in Germany.
Mantic Ritual are the latest “thrash revival” band to come to attention and though Executioner certainly wears its influences very plainly on its sleeves it’s none the worse for that. Coming across as a mixture of the raw aggression of the Germanic sound and the slightly more melodic tones of their American counterparts Mantic Ritual have just the right mixture of pounding riffs and memorable hooklines. There’s a youthful vim and vigour about Mantic Ritual that is very reminiscent of the energy Metallica and Megadeth displayed on their classic first albums, with some of the riffs even being essentially speeded up NWOBHM riffs of the type that littered Kill ‘Em All and ...Killing Is My Business And Business Is Good. As it should be in thrash it’s the guitars that take centre stage with plenty of headbanging riffage and some excellent solos from both guitarists that bring to mind the glory days of the likes of Hammett, Mustaine and Hanneman and even bordering on neo-classical “shred” sometimes, though never done just for the sake of showing off and always backed up by those riffs.
Mantic Ritual are to 80s thrash what Witchcraft are to 70s stoner/doom in that they’re so authentically 80s that if someone told you Executioner was a lost album from that period you’d believe them without question and they manage to avoid ever becoming merely a pastiche. Listening to the album you can almost see the band playing in tight white jeans, cut off t-shirts and white hi-tops with big daft grins on their faces and while Executioner isn’t quite a classic album it’s damn close and is very enjoyable indeed which bodes well for their forthcoming album.
Review by Neil Woodfin
Track Listing
| Executioner |
[01] One by One |
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Nuclear Blast's Official Website
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