Manntra – ‘Kreatura’ (2022)
Rating: 9/10
Release: 12 August 2022
Label: NoCut Entertainment
As soon as you press play, you’re met with the keyboard intro of Volhov, which wouldn’t be out of place on a modern Melodic Death Metal album. I have to admit that this threw me a little at first, but as soon as the song got going, the Manntra I know and love were there in all their glory.
At its heart, Manntra is an Industrial band, but one that appears to be able to take seemingly contrasting elements of other genres including Gothic, Groove and Folk Metal and use them to effortlessly craft an array of vital and interesting songs. You can almost feel the passion and energy coming through your speakers as you listen to Kreatura. It is yet another cracking album from the ever-prolific Manntra. This unique band are on a seemingly unstoppable roll as a creative force who have released two quality albums in as many years.
It’s a difficult album to pin down as they are all over the place musically, but when the songs are as vibrant, urgent and upbeat as this, genres really don’t matter. Manntra have a knack of penning a great little tune, be it the pumping Industrial of Silvermoon, the Folk meets Gothic metal of Oblivion or the acoustic Black, each song is individual and different enough to keep this album both interesting and compelling.
Kreatura is a shoo-in for a place on my albums of the year list and is definitely worth 40 minutes of your precious time. It is the perfect snapshot of what this band is all about. Manntra are still relatively unknown and if you have yet to fall under their spell, give Kreatura a spin and come along for the ride.
Tracklist
- Volhov
- Nightmare
- Tanz
- Devour
- Königsmord
- Black
- Kreatura
- Silvermoon
- Not Guilty
- Oblivion
- Secret
- So Ist Das Leben