We first covered Polish avant garde\/doom metal band three years ago on their split release with Unteachers.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 I\u2019ve been patiently waiting to cover this release for 2 years now until the final mixed and mastered version was ready for mass consumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.\u00a0 Fans of non-conformist doom metal and post-metal should definitely pay attention to this band of Orthodox Christians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ex Nihilo <\/em>opens with the title track and a slow doomy riff, reminiscent of early Black Sabbath or the slow intro to AC\/DC\u2019s \u201cHell\u2019s Bells.\u201d 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBereszit\u201d 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\u2019t worry, it\u2019s still heavy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNa wsch\u00f3d od Edenu\u201d 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<\/em>, 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Fourth track \u201cSzagma\u201d locks into that slow-heavy-but-melodic groove we\u2019ve come to expect from the band.\u00a0 It\u2019s a shorter, instrumental track that clocks in at just over two minutes.\u00a0 So far the experimental\/avant garde influences have been minimal. But that\u2019s about to change.\u00a0 \u201cWojna\u201d sees a slight change in vocal styles with more a punk\/sludge influence.\u00a0 Dissonant guitars are borrowed here from post-hardcore and\/or noise rock.\u00a0 But where it gets really interesting is the noisy saxophone wailing.\u00a0 We\u2019ve heard sax from the band before, so it\u2019s 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.\u00a0 This isn\u2019t as frantic as John Zorn, nor as atmospheric as Bruce Lamont, but if you enjoy experimental metal with unconventional instrumentation you\u2019re in for a real treat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The sax returns for the closing track \u201cBrama,\u201d a lengthier tune clocking in at over 8 minutes.\u00a0 Here we have some almost tribal drumming and percussion and a lot of spoken word vocals.\u00a0 Again, due to the language barriers, I can\u2019t be sure what\u2019s being said here, but parts of this track strike me as either prayers or parts of a sermon.\u00a0 There\u2019s an almost Middle Eastern feel in parts of this track, but there\u2019s also lots of layers of experimental noise, feedback, and so forth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n