Mycelium

About two decades ago now, someone recommended Manticora to me as a good power metal band for non-power metal fans. Indeed, I have a been a massive fan of them ever since, and there are still very few power metal bands that I can appreciate (mostly on the darker/heavier end: Nevermore, Evergrey, Persuader, some Blind Guardian). If you don't know Manticora and like some of those bands, you should absolutely check them out... just maybe not necessarily this album.

You see, I've been trying to tell people about Manticora for years, and it seems like one of the main issues people have is with the vocals. They're not high enough for a typical power metal fan, but also not brutal enough for an extreme metal fan. Well, if you're like me and don't love high-pitched traditional power metal vocals, cut can tolerate some cleans, then this is generally a plus. However, with this album, I could relate more than ever to detractors who just can't get over this band's vocals. On that note, let's get into it:

Again, I'm a fanboy that doesn't really want to criticize this band, but there are a lot of verses on this album where Lars's vocals just don't seem to fit the music. I could imagine an impatient new listener hearing half of a song and simply turning it off. However, most of the choruses here sound great and the vocals tend to sync up really well in those sections. I also think his vocals are better overall on the second half of the album than the first (starting with "Beast of the Fall"). There are some fantastic catchy choruses on this album, perhaps none better than in "Dia de los muertos".

Manticora also continues to utilize occasional growls throughout the album. I very much welcome this addition, and they fit well with the music. Unfortunately, the execution here is sometimes a bit lacking, with the growls having too much of a raspy goblin sound. I'm not sure if a different person is doing them now, or if it's simply the production, but the growls were a bit better on previous albums. Again, like the cleans, the growls later on this album also tend to sound stronger, especially the blast bleats and growls section on "Mementopolis".

Now as far as the guitars and music overall, I have zero complaints. Kristian Larsen continues to be an absolute wizard at songwriting and coming up with memorable riffs. This is ultimately the strength of this album that keeps me from rating it any lower. There is a good mix between thrashy low 7-string riffs and more melodic sections, simple chugs, tremolo picking, and complicated leads. The leads, handled primarily by Stefan Johansson, are top tier. There is no excessive guitar wankery as power/prog can sometimes be guilty of, but certainly plenty of technical skill and well-placed solos.

The bass isn't always at the forefront here, but there are plenty of sections where it jumps out and you can clearly hear the skill of Kasper Gram. "Demonday" and "Angel of the Spring" have some excellent bass playing that is hard to miss and fits the songs well. Long gone are the days of Manticora having keyboard solos, but you get a sprinkling of effects here and there that also adds something to the music.

That leaves us with one other problem to discuss with this album: the drums and their production. A while back, Manticora announced that they were parting with their drummer and would be using programmed drums on their upcoming album. Now, I didn't notice the programmed drums immediately, and sometimes the drum machine blends in adequately. But it only took a couple songs before I noticed the fakeness of the drum sound and remembered about the announcement. It also sounds like there's some clipping in the production of the drums, making them sound distorted at times. Once you notice the fake drums, it becomes hard to ignore. Let's please get a real drummer again. The guy on the last album sounded so much better than this.

So will you like Mycelium? Honestly, even as an old fan, it took me a few spins to really get to appreciate it. Especially at first listen, some of the vocals and bad drum production made me cringe a bit. But there are fantastic moments and guitar riffs throughout the album that kept me listening. In particular, the last few songs hooked me in: "Beast of the Fall" and "Dia de los muertos" are nearly flawless and about as good as prog/power gets.

For old Manticora fans, definitely give this album a chance, more than one if that's what it takes. This one is a grower. If you're new to the band, listen to the songs I just mentioned, or just start with 8 Deadly Sins.