Manticore [USA]
Behold the Ascension of the Execrated
2012
Full Length
Deathgasm Records
Black/Death Metal
Filthy black/death metal band Manticore‘s previous 2 full length records were easily some of my favourite black/death metal records, in particular 2006′s For Rats and Plague, living up to the standards that have been set by bands like Archgoat, especially with the cover of Rise of the Black Moon that was included on the album. 6 years on, the band finally releases the follow up to For Rats and Plague, entitled Behold the Ascension of the Execrated leaving me drooling with anticipation, awaiting yet another slew crushing death metal.
Unlike the immediate brutal onslaught that were present on previous offerings, Manticore starts off rather slowly, with clean guitar lines setting a haunting atmosphere before a doom-paced riff greets the listener. The band seems to have followed in the path of bands like Archgoat on Heavenly Vulva, choosing an extremely raw sound on Behold the Ascension of the Execrated (even more so than on Bowels of the Holy Anoint Us in Evil), most evident on the gritty guitar tone, sounding like a chainsaw grinding against the ear drums of the listener, and this seems to have come about with the inclusion of Naberius on guitars this time. The songs that are created by the band are still as crushing and abrasive as ever, and the influence from bands like Archgoat are still pretty clear, though there seems to be an expansion on the band’s sound with the inclusion of more doomish parts rather than simply going as fast as they can like on previous material. The band also seems to have adopted a slightly Swedish death metal sound as well, like on the mid-paced From the Darkness Below and Torn Apart by Hate.
The band also gives Venom‘s In Nomine Satanas a nice makeover on the record, giving it a nice, dirty deathened sound and the prominent bass here definitely gives the track a nice groovy touch. And the filthy sounds that are created complement the blasphemous lyrical themes on the album, making the listening experience all the more impactful and hateful. Unfortunately the onslaught lasts a mere 30 minute, and is way too short, making this the only true downside of the album.
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