That which accumulated during the years of tranquility and silence seems to have been quite something! With undiminished, exuberant creativity and strength, MANTUS release their latest masterpiece, ‘Demut’, even as the last sounds of ‘Requiem’ have barely faded away. On ‘Demut’, MANTUS continue the lyrical themes of ‘Requiem’ in that they grapple with the subject matter of the ‘vanitas’ art movement of the 16th and 17th centuries, which held that man should visualise the finality of all things and that death stands by as the omnipresent power over us all, so as to teach us humility (Demut in German). Nevertheless, or perhaps indeed because of this, MANTUS have created an extremely powerful, indeed rocking album. Once again, melancholy, classical arrangements come up against metallic guitars; piano chords and indescribable harmonies meet powerful rhythms and rock hooklines meet emotional vocals. The production is extremely impressive and emphasises the expressive depth of the musical and lyrical world of MANTUS all too clearly. It’s just a case of turning up the volume, closing your eyes and immersing yourself in the powerful songs which leave out no emotion, from sombre mourning, playful tenderness to melancholy daydreaming. MANTUS are once again on top of their game and raise the bar somewhat higher than on their last album. ‘Demut’ is no background CD. ‘Demut’ is a dark pearl among the musical mishmash, created for all those who have an open heart and open ears. For all those who are prepared to lose themselves in the symphonic mixture of gothic-wave, metal guitars, classical elements, the contrasting vocals of Martin Schindler and Thalia and the poetic breadth of MANTUS. Let yourselves go! ‘Demut’ is an accomplished and emotional work! Released on Trisol and available March 12th, 2010.

01 Vanitas
02 Fallen
03 Schuld
04 Gegen die Welt
05 Tränen eines Clowns
06 Ein Schatten
07 Abgrund
08 Azrael
09 Sturm
10 Endlos
11 Krieger der Nacht
12 Gespenster