Review Summary: Battle for Ozzfest runners up "Manntis" come out with thier major label debut and try to stand out above thier metalcore bretheren.
Television is something that can be used to make or break a career. Some popular singers have gotten their start on shows like American Idol, America’s Got Talent and other shows of the same vein. Now why am I mentioning American Idol in the review of a metal album? Well some of you may or may not know of the “American Idol” of metal which was the “Battle for Ozzfest” show. This show featured the most ‘promising’ up and coming metal acts from around the world, and had them go around with the traveling circus to do stunts that had nothing to do with playing music. Ok not really, the band that won was nothing special (A Dozen Furies) and ended up breaking up earlier this year. The runner up was the Riverside quintet ‘Manntis’ who by all means should have won the show. Manntis have a much more refreshing sound than A Dozen Furies and have much more heavier songs than they do. Having gotten signed to the metal powerhouse label ‘Century Media’ late in 04, Manntis have released their full length via the same label. The album is chock full of hardcore influenced metal riffs and some refreshingly new ideas that for some reason stand out to me.
The first thing this album boasts is some awesome guitar work. Adair Cobley manages to come out the gates firing on what is probably one of their best songs called ‘Axe Of Redemption’ with a blisteringly catchy main riff that will have you listening over and over again. And to clear things up, this is more of a hardcore album than it is a metal album. I will say I got this album before the metalcore market was oversaturated with a million bands that all sound the same so I hold this album in a bit higher regard then any of the other albums that came out later that year or anytime after that. The album itself keeps the fast pace with short songs and fast beats. The guitars are clean and crunchy and the typical nowadays for the metalcore sound. The drums sound good but the drumming is less than stellar. They’re just…there, nothing special to them, nothing to really mention outright, but they accomplish their purpose. The bass…you guessed it, is almost non-existent (another metalcore highlight.) With the exception of a few bass drops and slides, the bass is pulled way down in the mix and is barely even audible.
Now that brings us to the vocals, the vocals are either a hit or miss I’ve learned with this album. My group of friends and myself included, I love the vocals and think they add more to the hardcore sound of the record. Jake "Daniels" Sirokman does a good job at keeping the intensity of the record going with his hardcore barks and shouts. Now I’ve introduced this band to a few of my friends and they have told me that the only thing they don’t like about the album is the vocals. So like I said the vocals are either a hit or miss. The album itself maintains a steady pace of intensity with the exception of one song. “The Ends Where It Begins” is the only slow song on the album, and showcases Jake’s clean vocals which are actually somewhat refreshing. Having written the song for Rob Halford of Judas Priest on the Battle for Ozzfest show, it showcases the bands softer side. Now I will say coming after a song like ‘Sleep in Your Grave’, this slower song is a definite slow down track, which some might not enjoy as much as others. But altogether the album holds its own with the hordes of metalcore bands that just released the same rehashed stuff over and over again. Now like I said above this album brings nothing new to the table, there are no progressive elements that are going to make you want to leave your desk and go buy this with your hard earned money. But I do recommend it, it’s definitely the heavier side of what metalcore can offer, and I believe they do it in a fresh way
As far as the album itself, it doesn’t bring anything new to the table, (like so many other releases.) But they do what they do very well. They successfully made a record that kept with the intensity they ‘tried’ to create on The Battle for Ozzfest. Although, I personally, could not take the band seriously after seeing them on that show, gave them a chance and a listen. They really do give the dying genre of metalcore a good name and created their own style along the way. There are not too many bands in metalcore nowadays that can pull both of those off. Now I will say that these guys aren’t doing anything that is worth dropping everything you’re doing to go out and buy this album. But if you’re in your local music store and you see it on the discount shelf. Check it out, it’s a fun listen. I can almost guarantee that if you have heard “A Concept from Fire” record, after listening to this you will be wondering why these guys didn’t win that show. But either way, it’s a good record with some memorable songs.
