Manntra are a Croatian band who blend Industrial Rock/Metal with elements of Gothic Rock/Metal and hints of Neo/Traditional Folk, then deliver it with their own catchy Euro-Metal style. Unsurprising I suppose given that Manntra were formed just over 10 years ago from the ashes of Industrial Metal band Omega Lithium. But Manntra don’t limit themselves to the Industrial, they embrace other genres, write punchy, memorable songs and cast them into the world in their own way, which has gained them a much wider appeal after deciding to perform most of their songs in English three albums ago.
What sets “Kreatura”, and indeed Manntra as a whole apart for me is the way the band take a dark standpoint to each track and elevate it from there, very much similar to the way Beseech and a few others did in the European Gothic Metal style around the turn of the Millennium. They even back the low-slung male lead vocals with female on some of the songs, similar again to Beseech. Ironically, Beseech dabbled with incorporating Industrial Metal on their later albums, but never quite got it right – something that can’t be said about Manntra, who seem to have pretty much nailed it. Manntra then push even more of their own identity in there with the incorporation of little snippets of Folk instruments.
The album itself hits you with its quicker catchier tracks early on, with ‘Nightmare’ being an instant hit, and then gets more experimental, as well as darker from there on, with the tempos varying from gloomy type stomps to tracks like ‘Silverwood’ or ‘Secret’, which really embrace the band’s Metal side, and wouldn’t be out of place alongside Atrocity when they explored similar avenues. There’s usually a memorable vocal hook waiting somewhere in each song, some are so immediate that they wouldn’t be out of place as a Croatian Eurovision entry…but in a good way! Again, no surprise given that Manntra very nearly represented their country at that very competition back in 2019.
Coming from an Industrial Metal background enables the band to introduce more Metal and Hard Rock when they feel the song needs it rather than the other way around. Some songs have a “Goth-Night” floor-filler attitude, but Manntra also have a hard-edge that makes them stand out and whilst they will easily appeal to Industrial Rock/Metal fans, they also have plenty to interest fans of bands like Feuerschwanz as well as the aforementioned Gothic crowd. Those little Folk moments though, like in ‘Oblivion’ for instance, are such a great addition, and keep the band’s sound even more fresh and unpredictable. With such a great variation of Rock and Metal styles all wrapped up with a neat Industrial bow, it looks like Manntra’s growing popularity is set to take another step forward with “Kreatura”.
(8/10 Andy Barker)
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