It’s appalling to me that nearly six years have passed since I last reviewed Manntra. The passage of time is a horrifying thing, but there it is, in print: Manntra – Oyka! Review By Twelve on July 29, 2019. On the other hand, the passage of time is what inspires a good chunk of folk metal in the first place, and Oyka! was a fun folk metal album. Between then and now, Manntra released another three full-lengths that weren’t reviewed here (some other stuff happened too), which puts me a bit out of date for their recent activities. Nevertheless, I was excited to see the Croatians reappear in our Promo Pit for Titans, their eighth full-length (and first with Napalm Records), as I did enjoy Oyka! and am never opposed to the emergence of cheer. So how have the last six years been for Manntra, and how does Titans hold up to their rapidly growing discography?
Three missed releases or no, Manntra’s sound is instantly recognizable: a heavy, energetic metal base, a light dusting from folky instruments, and the unmistakable vocals of Marko Matijević Sekul. It’s a sound I can best describe as “pretty much” folk metal—it’s got the right lyrical themes; the acoustic guitars from Dorian Pavlović, the mandolin from Zlatko Štefančić, and pipes from Sekul; and it’s all kinds of energetic. However, there is one foot resting in the door of traditional, even industrial heavy metal. Sekul plays synths, while Andrea Kert and Zoltan Lečei refuse to be left out on drums and bass, respectively. But it’s Sekul’s voice that most significantly defines Manntra’s sound (vocalists, am I right?); his rasps, shouts, and chants toe the line between heavy and folk metal in a fascinating way—he has a charisma to his approach that’s hard to define, harder to replicate, and contributes heavily to Titans’s identity.
If the above sounded appealing to you, there is plenty more where it came from—Titans is heavy, fun, and folky. Manntra excel at big choruses that get caught in the brain, such as the superbly folky “Riders in the Dawn,” the intense, almost panicked “Higher,” and the symphonic-metal-esque “Teuta.” Across Titans, Štefančić’s mandolin is used to excellent effect, especially in “Unholy Water (Voda)” and the Miracle of Sound cover “Skal.” At times, Manntra step away from the folk influence, such as on the title track and “My Sandman,” which opens with poppy synths and makes much more effort to be heavy than catchy. Since Titans, not unlike previous Manntra work, is a fairly vocals-dominated album, this kind of variance goes a long way towards keeping things interesting across its full runtime.
The main drawback I can find with Titans is that Manntra seem to operate significantly better, for my ears at least, as a folk metal band than as a heavy metal one. Everything about them, from the lyrics to the instruments to the performances, aligns so well with folk. “Skal” is an absolute delight because Manntra can lean so far into the joyous anthem to drinking culture, while “Nav” is utterly elevated by the use of pipes. By contrast, “My Sandman” doesn’t work nearly as well; it is neither catchy nor particularly moving. Similarly, the two “Forgotten” tracks are solid, good works of heavy metal, but feel out of place at the close of an album that does lean folkier. I know I just listed the variety as a strength above—it is, but this particular approach leaves Titans feeling a touch uneven.
Titans is a fun album, and shows that Manntra really haven’t missed a step. Its highs are awesome, and it’s given me a lot of repeat listening material since I started spinning it. If it’s inconsistent in whether it is “good” or “very good,” it is very consistent in being an enjoyable listen and a good time… which I think is what Manntra was going for. I do recommend giving Titans a spin or two if you’re at all folk-inclined. As for me, I’ll be keeping a much more careful eye out for the next one, and so hopefully do this again soon.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
DR: 8 | Format Reviewed: Stream
Label: Napalm Records
Websites: manntra.bandcamp.com | manntra.hr | facebook.com/ManntraOfficial
Releases Worldwide: March 14th, 2025
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