From Bandcamp, “MANTAR manages to sound heavier than most five piece bands you may know, in spite of the fact that no bass guitar was used on this record. Just drums and guitar set for destruction. Forget about Rock 'N Roll. This will hurt. Flogging beats and blackened melodies meet feedback orgies and doom mayhem. Don't call it sludge though.” The album has twelve songs, and “Absolute Ghost” is first. It comes out of the gate with a heavy, nasty riff, and a big “fuck you” attitude, reminding me of the inherent power of a band like MOTORHEAD, and Erinc’s vocals even sound like the late and great Lemmy. “Principle of Command” is hard, heavy, and even swings a bit, with a twisted sense of humor, and even some psychedelica. The guitars give off a good deal of feedback, and smoke, from the heavy riff hand of Hanno.

“Morbid Vocation” is a darker and grittier song, still with that foul swing in the music. This song is a bit more dissonant than some of the others, but strangely, still easy to sing along with if you are so inclined. “Halsgericht” is the official video release from the album, and they picked a real banger to highlight themselves with. It has a slow start, but really gets going, and the energy is infectious. “Church of Suck” is probably a tip to the hypocrisy of the modern religious machine, and they pull no punches with the message of the music. The vocals are shouted from the mountain tops. “Two Choices of Eternity” presents the age-old question of which path one will choose. It’s a ball of energy that is tightly wound along with Erinc’s raspy vocal delivery.

“Axe Death Scenario” is a beater in terms of some of the harsh vocals, and the band delivers them with a coy, twisted smile and rams the song right down your throat. The final beating is called “Cosmic Abortion,” and it has a distinct WHITE ZOMBIE swing and sound to it. It’s all about the riffs for this band. Although they really aren’t presenting anything new with the style of the album, it’s pure blood, sweat and tears, gritty Rock N Roll, with a touch of Black Metal, and they present it confidently and with a big middle finger extended to anyone and everyone. The production is perfect for their brand as well.