As more and more American metal acts take center stage, from
Lamb of God and
Intronaut to
Mastodon and the regrouping of the original
Slayer, it's easy to forget the contributions made by the European acts that owned the 1990s and early part of the 21st century. On American shores, Danish metal band
Manticora are underground. They shouldn't be; perhaps it's because of the conceptual nature of their material -- concept albums have become a staple with them and this is their third in five releases -- or their willfully over the top musicality that blends in elements of prog with their power metal approach. Whatever the case, this act is one of the more inventive and memorable in the entire genre.
Black Circus is based on a narrative of H.P. Lovecraft, and is spread over two different recordings.
Pt. 1: Letters basically sets up all the strange details of the journey of a traveling American circus in 1896, told through the point of view of a young man who has been hired as its janitor. It is his dream job to be sure, but there is something very wrong with this circus. Pt. 2 will offer the filled-in narrative. In any case, the band --
Martin Arendal (guitars),
Kasper Gram (bass),
Kristian Larsen (guitars), Mads Volf (drums), and
Lars F. Larsen (vocals) -- is ambitious, pretentious, and utterly skilled at both composition and execution. This is part power metal, part thrash metal, part prog rock, and utterly inspired. As a vocalist,
Lars Larsen pushes himself to the very brink of his abilities. There is no cookie monster crap on
Manticora albums. This is a vocalist who has studied. Woven through his parts are a choir -- orchestrated and performed by the band and producer
Tommy Hansen -- and singer Karin Brom's gorgeous classical stylings. As is now typical of Euro-metal groups, keyboards are threaded into the mix as well.
The bottom line: this is dynamic-laden, dramatic, theatrical epic metal. It's florid but packs a wallop. Its musicality detracts not one iota from its depth and power. This is a mature band that is extending the genre without watering it down.
Manticora aspire to nothing other than excellence in their chosen mode of rock & roll expression. There are five brief interludes that break up the narrative, urging the listener down into the rabbit hole further and further. The rest is seductive, pummeling, and kitschy music -- think about
Queen if they had stayed the course of their first three records and had heard black metal and the San Francisco metal of the '80s and '90s. The standout cuts are the title track, "Enchanted Mind," "Freakshow," and the amazing "Gypsies Dance, Pt. 1."
Manticora bring back the myth, mayhem, and madness, the horror show fun to heavy metal, played with the vengeance of junkyard dogs and the visionary zeal of aesthetes. If your kid brings this record home, sit down and listen to it with her or him; you might rediscover what was magical about rock & roll in the first place. ~ Thom Jurek