Search - Manticora :: Roots of Eternity

The debut of the greatest Power/Progressive/Thrash band

CellFreak | Memphis, TN USA | 09/24/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is Manticora's first studio album, now available again in Europe and the United States. Quickly go out and purchase all four of their albums if you like any of the styles I mention in the title.



This is the best first album from any band that I have heard. Blind Guardian is(was) my long-time favorite band but it is not until their fourth album that I really begin to *love* their music. I heard Manticora's albums in reverse, but I would have loved them from the front if I had been lucky enough to have been able to hear them sooner.



Read my reviews of Hyperion and 8 Deadly Sins to get an idea of their sound - I don't want to be too monotonous. Here are the high points: Amazing dual guitars; Powerful, intricate drumming; perfectly balanced, virtuoistic keyboard, and perfectly pitched singing with the slightest of agressive edges (perfectly pitched meaning not screechingly high like almost all other power metal bands).



The highlights of this album are:

Intoxicated - great thrashy drumming, surprising time changes, and wonderful singing across a range of emotions.



and



Nowhere Land - Absolutely prefect drumming, premium song structure, and the emotion of the singing is infectious.



Not that the other songs are bad, of course. The entire album is a very rewarding listen. The music never grows stale, and that is exactly what Manticora is - never stale - always reaching within and pulling out greater and greater music with each disc.



Buy this disc, you will enjoy it, but buy there other discs as well for an even more complete and enrapturing experience."