Mantus - VERSTÄRKER Compact Disc Digi

The last few years have left no doubt that the light at the end of the tunnel was just an oncoming train after all. But what are we to do when every new year manages, in some twisted way, to be worse than the past one after? Martin Schindler has an answer to that, the only relevant one in trying times like these: Keep going. Just keep going. Because if we start to give up this last bit of humanity, confidence and empathy now, we might as well turn off the lights.
That's why on "Verstärker" (German for "amplifier") MANTUS both sound familiar and enticingly different. As if to live up to this title, Schindler amplifies the emotions, the urgency, puts a spotlight on himself and on his troubled soul. In an astounding manner, influences find their way into the cosmos of MANTUS that have always been a part of Martin Schindler but have never been made audible like this. "Alles auf Null" spreads an almost feverish post-punk mood with furious force, songs like "Keiner" or the anthemic title track are reminiscent of an apocalyptic rock opera with brooding arrangements and Schindler's admonishing vocals while "Schüsse in der Nacht" comes as a stirring, poignant goth-punk song against war and violence. MANTUS sound 2023 rockier, grippier, more disillusioned than ever. And yet as urgent, as important, as relevant as never before.
All the while, however, MANTUS still is this living, this suffering being that writhes and screams, that craves for life and that always moves forward determinedly. A lot happened in the world and in Schindler's life since he presented us with his "Manifesto" back in 2021, an album nothing less than the distilled essence of MANTUS. It was time for a fresh start, for a bold look into the realms left and right of this unprecedented band. That's no easy feat: the unforgettable debut "Liebe und Tod" came out more than 20 years ago, in countless albums and EPs MANTUS have since left their mark on the gothic genre. Here, a reinvention almost becomes a test of endurance. A test Martin Schindler passed with flying colours.
That's why "Verstärker" is full of bittersweet vistas back into his very own past, paired with a departure into an uncertain future - just take "Komm nimm meine Hand" for example, forebodingly performed by Chiara Amberia and stylistically between the laments of the early days and crushing doom metal heaviness. Perhaps MANTUS have become more worldly in their choice of themes, away from the graveyard masterpieces of yore; "Amplifier", however, proves that MANTUS have only become more honest, more intimately felt. Exactly what we need in our time and age.