Mantar's 2022 LP, Pain Is Forever And This Is The End, saw the German duo bring a sonic richness to their madly heavy blackened death-punk grooves, assisting the record to its position at #2 on Germany's Official Top 10 album chart. The record added smoother, calmer, more harmonic textures to Mantar's expanding palette, but on 2024's Post Apocalyptic Depression, Mantar smash the palette and punch a hole in the canvas. "We wanted to do EVERYTHING different from the last album," affirms Hanno. "The last album was very produced. A huge sounding record, clean production. Display of power. That was what we wanted and felt at that time. Now we are trying to destroy what we've built up with the last album. There is a certain beauty in disappointing people's expectations." The ethos is clear from the first two words Hanno uses to describe the recording process: "Quick and dirty. We didn't even bring our own gear to the studio, and just used the equipment that we would find there. There was zero planning involved in the making of this album. We wanted to keep it as primitive as possible. We were more bold this time and literally cut any shit off the songs that we didn't think was necessary. I think you can hear that playing these new songs is more fun. I feel very connected with my punk roots on this album. Very punk rock production and next to our first album definitely the most raw sounding one." Further reconnecting Mantar with the spirit of their 2014 debut Death By Burning, the new front cover is again painted by renowned artist Aron Wiesenfeld, whose haunting aesthetic lends the band such distinctive and striking visual impact. It feels like a band coming full circle, drawing to a close the first ten years of Mantar.
