MANTRIC LAUNCH THEIR DESCENT TODAY
Today is the day we finally get to hear new music from Norway’s Mantric, the band formed from the ashes of Extol (who called it quits in 2007). Like much of the Prosthetic Records roster, Mantric offer a proggy take on something a touch more accessible; in this case a captivating hybrid of Isis / Cult of Luna style heavy done up more intricately and ornately and with a touch of post-hardcore riffery and vocals. If Opeth ever decided to dabble in the Neurisis axis of metal and recorded with Kurt Ballou helming the boards it’d probably sound something like Mantric.
I’ve actually only heard the two songs posted on Mantric’s MySpace page, but today marks the U.S. release of their debut album The Descent (it came out yesterday in Europe). I‘ve been waiting for this one for a while, and I can’t to smoke a bowl and dig in.
Pre-order The Descent here for only $10, or $20 with a t-shirt.
-VN
Candiria needs no introduction, but even those familiar with the band might not know that guitarist John LaMacchia is one of the most hard-working men in underground metal. In addition to his work with Candiria — who are releasing Toying With the Insanities Volumes 1 and 2 this September — LaMacchia runs 
For awhile now, we’ve been
Okay, fine — I’ll admit it: I’m on a non-weed kick. Or, lemme correct that — I’m on a non-weed buying kick. ‘Cause I’m still down to smoke from time to time but I get really compulsive about le ganj, and if me have a bag in me clutches, ima puffaleel every day of the week….which is all well and good in theory (not really), but seriously I’ve been doing that for way too long and I need to get ahold of myself before my brain dwindles down to a scant shred and I can’t properly form a sentence (let alone impart my wisdom to the youth of America). Will power, shmill power — that concept doesn’t really come into play when th’erb attaches itself to your lungs like black venomous goo on Spiderman.
The stuttering riff that opens both “Hall of the Dead” and Isis’ new album Wavering Radiant recalls the openers of the band’s two best tracks: Celestial’s title track and Oceanic’s “The Beginning and The End.” And yet, in true Isis fashion, once the riff and song itself slowly unravel, “Hall of the Dead” establishes a personality of its own, somehow both a return to form after the misstep of 2006’s In the Absence of Truth and a unique statement in itself. It has the Isis hallmarks – Aaron Turner’s gruff bark (and droning clean vocals), Aaron Harris’ sturdy yet subtly inventive drumming, reverb-drenched guitars either filling up the room with expansive post-rock riffs or obliterating it with a battering ram of down tuned sludge, busy bass lines crab-walking underneath it all, and a buildup that brilliantly segues into a beautiful wave of guitars – but has new elements as well: the keyboards have never been this present (usually used for just a blanket of ambience, they’re a central instrument all over Wavering Radiant), and there’s a new sense of focus that holds the song together.
