There’s a reason Mantar are not the biggest band in the world, despite writing some of the catchiest rock songs you’ll hear this side of our mortal coil. The German duo work hard to produce music that is both compelling and incredibly ugly on its face — they’re sort of our generation’s Eyehategod — and for that, we will always love them. Now, the band have announced a new album, and have dropped the first single, titled, wait for it, “Hang ‘Em Low (So the Rats Can Get ‘Em).” Amazing.
Mantar’s new album Pain Is Forever and This Is The End will come out July 15th on Metal Blade, and is available for preorder. You can find the tracklisting and cover art below.
Says guitarist/vocalist Hanno Klänhardt:
“Nothing came together easily for this album. Everything sucked and I hated most of the process. I wrote it and we recorded it during a very bad time, and even though Covid had not much of an impact on us of course the general fucked up mood in the world and the industry had an impact on the record. Everything was very tedious, up to a point where I literally questioned everything and we were damn close to quitting the band,” he states plainly. “I thought I just lost ‘it.’ There was no fun anymore and with every song I came up with there was a period at some point where I thought it sucked. Then I had moments where I thought it’s the best we have ever done. It was bipolar in a way. It was rough and it took a serious toll on me and Erinc that I’m still recovering from. Then again I come from the school of ‘no pain no gain,’ which obviously is bullshit and self-destructive but unfortunately that is who I am.”
Check out the anthemic “Hang ‘Em Low (So the Rats Can Get ‘Em)” below, followed by the album cover and tracklisting.
Mantar’s Pain Is Forever and This Is the End:
1. Egoisto
2. Hang ‘Em Low (So the Rats Can Get ‘Em)
3. Grim Reaping
4. Orbital Pus
5. Piss Ritual
6. Of Frost and Decay
7. Walking Corpse
8. New Age Pagan
9. Horder
10. Odysseus