LORD MANTIS: “NICE TEETH WHORE”

 

(Andy Synn reviews the new EP by Lord Mantis.)

Here at NCS we really try our best to stay out of all the inter- and intra- band drama that goes on within the metal scene, and that goes double when we’re friendly/familiar with some of the parties involved.

Still, I have to acknowledge that it’s practically impossible to talk about the new Lord Mantis EP without addressing the acrimonious, and very public, split that occurred in the band’s ranks not long after the release of 2014’s phenomenal Death Mask, with both Charlie Fell and Ken Sorceron decisively cutting ties with the group, even as drummer Bill Baumgardner and guitarist Andrew Markuszewski vowed to continue on without them.

As a result of this division, lines were drawn, sides were chosen, old alliances torn asunder… with fans on both sides of the divide pulled (willingly or otherwise) into one very un-civil war.

But, despite all this, the one question which matters more than any other is… how does the music on Nice Teeth Whore stack up to the band’s previous releases?

 

 

…and the answer is, pretty damn well, actually.

It’s not quite on the same level as Death Mask, mind you, as it’s a less angular (though no less anguished) specimen on the whole, and there’s doubtless going to be more than a few fans willing to write the band off totally as a result, but NTW is still a worthy addition to the group’s catalogue, as well as a real thumb in the eye for the doubters and detractors.

Of course, it helps that new vocalist Dylan O’Toole (ex-Indian) is possessed of a scalding shriek very similar to that of his predecessor, and that both Baumgardner and Markuszewski have clearly kept the core essence of the band’s ugly, carcinogenic sound intact, meaning that by the time the caustic “SIG Safer” has had its wicked way with you, you’ll either be hooked all over again, or weeping and dry-heaving in the corner (quite possibly both).

Following the blackened baptism of the opener the claustrophobic title-track pours some extra salt in the wound with its mixture of diseased, suppurating sludge-riffs and tormented, post-hypnotic hooks, worming its way under your skin and into your subconscious like a viral strain of pure nihilism, leading into the nightmarish fever-dream of “Semblances”, which practically oozes malice and self-loathing in a way that makes it the perfect soundtrack for a post-Death Mask suicide pact.

The EP concludes with the beautiful disaster of “Final Division”, a track which really leans hard on the sludgier, doomier side of the band’s repertoire, lacing it with some of the same threads of grimy industrial effluent which permeated the previous album to such lethal effect, and topping it off with a nauseating blend of crucified shrieks and eerily malevolent melodies.

 

They say that lightning never strikes twice… at least not in the same place… but although Nice Teeth Whore doesn’t quite pack the same horrendous punch as its foul-fettered forebear, it’s still an electrifying experience in its own right, which strongly suggests that rumours of this band’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.

 

Nice Teeth Whore will be released by New Density on April 29. The covert art is by Manuel Tinnemans (Comaworx).

https://lordmantis.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/lordmantisofficial/