Progress within a band is hard to define. You could determine that progress is more technically driven, songs where the progress would be that the members have become more masterful with their respective instruments. Perhaps you could define progress through being more daring and forward thinking in their approach, trying new sounds and different ideas. Or you could define that progress is when a band is truly cohesive, when not just one particular area of the band excels but the unit as a whole is immovable.
Opening the album with the brooding sound of an accordion gliding into Decapitated’s first example of how such a simple riff can be so devastating “Exiled In Flesh” is a perfect initiation, summing up much of the album in a very stripped back bare bones style of song writing, followed by “The Blasphemous Psalm To The Dummy God Creation” which wins gold for all out assault. Relying much on simple stop start techniques, seasoned of course with some stealthy out of time palm mutes in between sections. Whilst having some of the most demanding blast beats in metal that would put any reputable drummer through their paces, showing that Michal Lysejko was indeed a worthy successor to Krimh.
Throughout Blood Mantra silence seems to govern, with the emphasis being on giving the listener a sense of unpredictability of linear songwriting, a paradox in itself. Where the listener is able to roughly follow but is never quite sure of what lurks around the next metaphorical corner. Title track “Blood Mantra” is a prime example of song writing at its peak with a fluid evolution from a simple groove laden riff to something else completely. Rather than playing as fast as possible the band have concentrated on the songs themselves, that being said there are moments where Vogg’s helicopter blade like palm muting shines through. One being “Nest” with the stop start riffing making the harmony of the dissonant solo all the more apparent. Where the guitar usually follows the drums it must be said Lysejko is brilliant at carving out a niche for himself with simple but very effective drum patterns in the climactic finale of “Veins” the trade off between guitar and drums is masterful.
The album also has a tertiary level made more apparent towards the end of the record, with the trance inducing “Blindness” along with the verse of “Instinct” in between the schizophrenic organised chaos along with more augmented sounding clean pieces, it gives the album space. After the battering of the first six songs it gives the listener more of a sense of transcendental hopelessness which in turn is heavier than any riff. Creating a sense of utter despair with the repetitive riff of “Blindness“, added with Rasta’s delayed vocals enveloping the song crafting a weight on the listener. Blood Mantra is also a fantastic testament to the singers ability, ranging from a haunting howl to his screams creating much needed punctuation between riffs, Rasta knocks it out of the park Once the dirge of “Red Sun” bleeds into the aftermath of Blood Mantra, only to be then pulled right back in for one more blast of aggression in the deceptive “Moth Defect“.
Blood Mantra is the perfect definition of unstable, throughout the album in various different ways we are shown that Decapitated are simultaneously able to completely eradicate anything in their path, whilst all the while being able to contain it. Cloaking seemingly simplistic songs with subtle technical nuances ensure that the threat of this unpredictable mass of energy could go off at any time makes it for such an enjoyable listen. Blood Mantra is the sound of a band that have progressed to concurrently be able to induce a mirage of linear song writing whilst having unforeseeable subtle nuances to trick the listener, song writing that only Decapitated, a truly cohesive band can deliver.
