Mantar – Post Apocalyptic Depression
Metal Blade Records
6,0/10,0
Brief:
Recorded in a live setting at Black Bear Studios, Gainesville – Florida by Ryan Williams, Mantar’s 2022 LP, Pain Is Forever and This Is The End, saw the German duo bring a sonic richness to their madly heavy blackened death-punk grooves, assisting the record to its position at #2 on Germany’s Official Top 10 album chart. The record added smoother, calmer, more harmonic textures to Mantar’s expanding palette, but on 2024’s Post Apocalyptic Depression, Mantar smash the palette and punch a hole in the canvas.
“We wanted to do EVERYTHING different from the last album,” affirms Hanno. “The last album was very produced. A huge sounding record, clean production. Display of power. That was what we wanted and felt at that time. Now we are trying to destroy what we’ve built up with the last album. There is a certain beauty in disappointing people’s expectations.”
One earful of monster-grooving punk’n’roll opener Absolute Ghost confirms that disappointment is an implausible reaction to the wildly energised righteous blood-shakers assembled here. Mantar have already eaten up the road all over Europe, the US, Japan, Latin America, and South Africa, as well as all the major European festivals and American festivals, but these tunes are destined for especially visceral live connection.
The ethos is clear from the first two words Hanno uses to describe the recording process: “Quick and dirty. We didn’t even bring our own gear to the studio, and just used the equipment that we would find there. There was zero planning involved in the making of this album. We wanted to keep it as primitive as possible. We were more bold this time and literally cut any shit off the songs that we didn’t think was necessary. I think you can hear that playing these new songs is more fun. I feel very connected with my punk roots on this album. Very punk rock production and next to our first album definitely the most raw sounding one.”
As for that intensely full-on title, Hanno defines Post Apocalyptic Depression as “the feeling you get after a mass hysteria. The feeling you get once you invested all your power in a mass hypnosis and suddenly realize there won’t be no salvation. Also, it refers to a very one-dimensional and basic human feeling we all know. Being just burned out after a very tedious and exhausting period of life. Post Apocalyptic Depression also can be taken as the insight that people just refuse to learn. Besides that, it’s a damn catchy and cool name for an album that sounds exactly the way these words sound.”
Asked about future ambitions, Hanno is pragmatic. “The band might stick around for a bit, as long it’s fun to play shows and play music together,” he reckons. “There are too many bands out there just slowly fading away. So far, we are still killing it on stage and never put out mediocre music. I think that’s the most important thing. The ‘future’ very often is nothing but hope and expectations and wrong promises. I’d rather stay away from that. I am in no way pessimistic, I’m just trying to protect what we have created. It’s more about the overall legacy than short-term goals and achievements.”
[The Edited Press Release]
Tracklist:
01 Absolute Ghost 02:34
02 Rex Perverso 02:51
03 Principle of Command 03:36
04 Dogma Down 02:16
05 Morbid Vocation 02:35
06 Halsgericht 04:02
07 Pit of Guilt 02:29
08 Church of Suck 02:02
09 Two Choices of Eternity 03:33
10 Face of Torture 02:47
11 Axe Death Scenario 02:37
12 Cosmic Abortion 04:06
Main Focus Tracks:
02 Rex Perverso 02:51
06 Halsgericht 04:02
Other Recommended Tracks:
04 Dogma Down 02:16
10 Face of Torture 02:47
12 Cosmic Abortion 04:06
Line-Up:
Erinc – Drums, Vocals
Hanno – Vocals, Guitars
Comments:
Mantar returns with Post Apocalyptic Depression, an album that blends controlled introspection with restrained rage, offering interesting ideas but ultimately failing to recapture the brilliance of their previous release.
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Selected Discography:
Death by Burning – 2014
Ode to the Flame – 2016
The Modern Art of Setting Ablaze – 2018
Grungetown Hooligans II – 2020
Pain Is Forever and This Is the End – 2022
Post Apocalyptic Depression – 2025
Photo Credit: Sonja Schuringa | Chantic Photography