Review: Manta Birostris – Ex Nihilo
We first covered Polish avant garde/doom metal band three years ago on their split release with Unteachers. And while the band had another mini-album recorded by the following year, it only saw the light of day through wider distribution in 2025. I’ve been patiently waiting to cover this release for 2 years now until the final mixed and mastered version was ready for mass consumption.
Hailing from Warsaw, Poland Manta Birostris immerse themselves in a form of music that is certainly metallic, but also dabbles in experimental noise, avant garde jazz, Middle Eastern folk sounds and other territory. Fans of non-conformist doom metal and post-metal should definitely pay attention to this band of Orthodox Christians.
Ex Nihilo opens with the title track and a slow doomy riff, reminiscent of early Black Sabbath or the slow intro to AC/DC’s “Hell’s Bells.” However, the similarities end there. Vocals of the harsh variety, and melodic guitars are layered over the top of crunchy rhythm guitars. This could appeal to fans of Boris, Melvins, Thou, Minsk, etc. And while the lyrics are all in Polish, Adam sings them with conviction that translates across language barriers.
“Bereszit” continues the slow, heavy burn, but adds a layer of experimentation. Manta Birostris is known for bringing in outside influences to their brand of metal. This time layers of vocal noises are added as well as wafts of guitar noise and feedback, borrowing from noise rock and post-punk. Don’t worry, it’s still heavy!
“Na wschód od Edenu” is up next and features more of that heavy melodic guitar over the top of a dark rhythmic sonic palette. The vocal harmonies are a nice touch on this one on the verses, with the harsh vocals returning on the bridge/chorus. In the past MB have also had a slight grunge feel, and while that influence is less present on Ex Nihilo, it rears its head a little on this track with the heaviest and darkest aspects of Soundgarden or Alice in Chains coming into play in the guitar work.
Fourth track “Szagma” locks into that slow-heavy-but-melodic groove we’ve come to expect from the band. It’s a shorter, instrumental track that clocks in at just over two minutes. So far the experimental/avant garde influences have been minimal. But that’s about to change. “Wojna” sees a slight change in vocal styles with more a punk/sludge influence. Dissonant guitars are borrowed here from post-hardcore and/or noise rock. But where it gets really interesting is the noisy saxophone wailing. We’ve heard sax from the band before, so it’s not a major surprise here, but it is so refreshing to hear a metal band that does not get locked into the same old formulas again and again. This isn’t as frantic as John Zorn, nor as atmospheric as Bruce Lamont, but if you enjoy experimental metal with unconventional instrumentation you’re in for a real treat.
The sax returns for the closing track “Brama,” a lengthier tune clocking in at over 8 minutes. Here we have some almost tribal drumming and percussion and a lot of spoken word vocals. Again, due to the language barriers, I can’t be sure what’s being said here, but parts of this track strike me as either prayers or parts of a sermon. There’s an almost Middle Eastern feel in parts of this track, but there’s also lots of layers of experimental noise, feedback, and so forth.
If you like your metal to stay in its lane, this release is not for you. However, if you enjoy artists who push the limits of creativity and convention, creating some new and beautiful (or unsettling?) in the process, then I highly recommend Ex Nihilo, despite the effort it may take to procure a copy.
Order online from Polish cassette-only label ISKRA cassettes here: Metal
My rating: 4 out of 5
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