Mantus – Manifest (Album – Trisol)
Genre/Influences: Gothic, Goth-Metal.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: German Mantus is now active for more than twenty years and has released a serious discography. The band driven by Martin Schiller and assisted by female vocalist Chiara Amberia has unleashed their “Manifest” featuring thirteen new songs.
Content: Mantus has moved throughout different periods; the main style and basis of the work has been always centered on Gothic, but some albums moved into harder Metal riffs. “Manifest” seems to be a very personal work, but still a dark one, which is clearly driven by the dystopian world we’re living in. Mantus transposed these dark visions into melodic, carrying passages, which have been seriously empowered by heavy guitar playing. Chiara heavenly vocals are once again injecting a touch of grace to the tenebrous and melancholic world of Mantus. She stands for the angelic side of the work while Martin’s rougher way of singing is more demoniac. The songs have been as usual sung in the band’s Mother language.
+ + + : “Manifest” is an interesting title as it perfectly symbolizes an imaginary ‘manifest’ of this band or a kind of summary of their career. The songs remain melodic, which has always been a kind of trademark, but also touching ground with heavier and somewhat Metal guitar play. The Electronic arrangements achieve the work with some subtle elements. Mantus in fact is the symbiosis between opposites, but in the end it simply makes sense and once more resulted in noticeable songs. The album first of all stands for a ‘classical’ German Gothic sound and reveals multiple cool songs.
– – – : There are numerous attention grabbers, but unfortunately a potential big ‘hit’, which is probably what Mantus is missing to reach a wider, international reputation.
Conclusion: I’ve already said it, but I’m still convinced Mantus is an underrated formation in the Gothic style. They’ve this kind of imaginary license to compose a powerful gothic style where melancholia has been adapted into melodic songs.
Best songs: “Lohokla”, “Norwind”, “Straßen der Stadt”, “Mantra”, “Fast Perfekte Welt”.
Rate: (8).
Artist: www.mantus.de / www.facebook.com/mantus.band
Label: www.trisol.de / www.facebook.com/pages/Trisol-Music-Group/104166526285471
About Mantus
Mantus is a German band from Cologne, formed in 1997 by Martin Schindler, per Discogs. Chiara Amberia joined as the band’s vocalist in 2012. Discogs lists the band’s chronology from “Liebe Und Tod” (2000) through “Demut” (2010), “Zeichen” (2011), “Wölfe” (2012), “Refugium” (2016) and “Katharsis / Pagan Folk Songs” (2019), all released via Trisol, to “Manifest” (2021).
Trisol label head Alex Storm discussed the label’s roster in a May 2021 Labels Interview. Mantus followed “Manifest” with “Verstärker” in 2023, per Discogs.
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I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
