Mantar

Mantar believes that fire is the purifying force in the universe, so the German duo does its best to bring that notion to life on second LP Ode to the Flame. Guitarist Hanno and drummer Erinc throttle elements of thrash, doom, and NWOBHM, dragging them down the train tracks with a Motörhead-esque death choogle. What really makes the soaring riffs of "Born Reversed" and blasting boogie of "Cross the Cross" evil is Hanno's vocal ferocity. The frontman sounds like he eats kittens and gargles the bones. His flame-throwing larynx elevates Ode to the Flame beyond savagery into pure destruction.