Blood Mantra is the sixth studio album by Polish death metal band Decapitated. It was released on 22 September 2014 in Poland via Mystic Production and later in September via Nuclear Blast Records in other regions. Blood Mantra was produced by Wojtek and Sławek Wiesławscy. It is the band's first album to feature drummer Michał Łysejko and their only album to feature bassist Paweł Pasek. The song "The Blasphemous Psalm to the Dummy God Creation" was released as a single on 8 August 2014.[1][2] Two days earlier, the single was released as digital stream on Nuclear Blast YouTube profile.[1]
| Blood Mantra | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Cover art by Łukasz Jaszak | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 22 September 2014 | |||
| Recorded | 2014 | |||
| Studio | Hertz Studio, Białystok, Poland | |||
| Genre | Groove metal, technical death metal | |||
| Length | 39:37 | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast, Mystic Production | |||
| Producer | Wojtek and Sławek Wiesławscy | |||
| Decapitated chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Blood Mantra | ||||
| ||||
Background
editBlood Mantra is the follow-up to Decapitated's 2011 album Carnival Is Forever. It is the recording debut of drummer Michał Łysejko with the band, who joined the band in January 2014,[3] and also the first album to feature bassist Paweł Pasek. It was recorded at Hertz Studio in Bialystok, Poland, with producers Wojtek and Sławek Wiesławscy. The album cover art was created by Polish artist Łukasz Jaszak.[4]
Guitarist Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka commented on the album, "Extreme and groove — I think that's the best way to describe our new album. This time we feel that we have something totally crushing and huge. Blood Mantra is the most heavy and mature album we ever did in our career. I cannot wait to start to play songs live because riffs are soo deep and powerful."[4] He also stated, "We flirt with various tempos mixing death metal with grindcore and almost outright black metal atmosphere together with more, so to speak, 'crowd-puller' beats verging on groovy, almost stoner-rock climates. There are also a few more modern metal rhythmic riffs where we return to the climate of Organic Hallucinosis album. I'm certain that the very fact we are again, after 9 years, in Hertz studio will evoke the spirit of that album. The vocals sound very promising. Rasta [Rafał Piotrowski] is a much more experienced vocalist compared to the Carnival Is Forever album times. And his voice sounds more powerful and deeper."[4]
A music video for "Instinct" was released in October.[5]
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |    [6] |
| Blabbermouth.net | (8.5/10)[7] |
| Exclaim! | [8] |
| The Quietus | Positive[9] |
| Revolver | [10] |
In a Blood Mantra review, Revolver stated: "Twelve years after Poland’s Decapitated raised the death-metal bar with its mighty sophomore album, Nihility, the band’s dynamic arrangements and scalpel-edged musicianship are still a wonder to behold".[10]
According to Exclaim!, "Blood Mantra features the band's signature well-executed style, but with the experimental twists that Decapitated have mastered over the years and have provided the distinguishing factor between albums. The band's trademark crushing technicality and heavy, aggressive grooves ("Exiled in Flesh," "Veins") juxtapose with new elements such as melodic passages and avant-garde structures ("Blindness," "Red Sun")".[8]
Track listing
editAll lyrics are written by Rafał "Rasta" Piotrowski; all music is composed by Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka[11][12]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Exiled in Flesh" | 4:05 |
| 2. | "The Blasphemous Psalm to the Dummy God Creation" | 2:31 |
| 3. | "Veins" | 5:04 |
| 4. | "Blood Mantra" | 5:05 |
| 5. | "Nest" | 6:25 |
| 6. | "Instinct" | 5:49 |
| 7. | "Blindness" | 7:37 |
| 8. | "Red Sun" (Instrumental) | 3:01 |
| 9. | "Moth Defect" (Bonus Track) | 6:21 |
| Total length: | 46:10 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Diary 2010–2014" |
Personnel
editDecapitated
edit- Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka – guitars, button accordion
- Rafał "Rasta" Piotrowski – vocals
- Paweł Pasek – bass
- Michał Łysejko – drums
Production
edit- Wojtek and Sławek Wiesławscy – production, mixing, mastering, recording
- Łukasz Jaszak – artwork
Charts
edit| Chart (2014) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Polish Albums (ZPAV)[13] | 11 |
| UK Indie Albums Chart[14] | 30 |
| US Top Heatseekers[15] | 5 |
Release history
edit| Formats | Region | Date | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| CD, CD+DVD, LP, LP+CD, digital download | Poland | September 22, 2014 | Mystic Production[16] |
| Europe | September 26, 2014 | Nuclear Blast[17] | |
| UK | September 29, 2014 | ||
| North America | September 30, 2014 |
References
edit- ^ a b "Decapitated: New Single 'The Blasphemous Psalm To The Dummy God Creation' Available For Streaming". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
- ^ "The Blasphemous Psalm to the Dummy God Creation - Single - Decapitated". itunes.apple.com. Retrieved 2014-02-06.
- ^ "Decapitated: 'Blood Mantra' Track Listing Revealed". Blabbermouth.net. July 17, 2014. Retrieved July 26, 2014.
- ^ a b c "Decapitated To Release 'Blood Mantra' In September". Blabbermouth.net. July 9, 2014. Retrieved July 9, 2014.
- ^ "Decapitated: 'Instinct' Video Released". Blabbermouth.net. October 3, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
- ^ Campagna, Tom (September 30, 2014). "Decapitated - Blood Mantra Review". About.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
- ^ Van Horn, Ray Jr. (October 30, 2014). "Decapitated - "Blood Mantra"". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved October 30, 2014.
- ^ a b Falzon, Denise (September 29, 2014). "Decapitated Blood Mantra". Exclaim!. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
- ^ Brown, Dean (October 16, 2014). "Decapitated Blood Mantra Review". The Quietus. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
- ^ a b Perlah, Jeff (September 24, 2014). "Review: Decapitated – Blood Mantra". Revolver. Archived from the original on September 29, 2014. Retrieved September 29, 2014.
- ^ "Rock w sercu, metal we krwi" (in Polish). Heavyrock.eu. February 7, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ Blood Mantra. AllMusic.
- ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
- ^ "2014 Top 40 Independent Albums Archive". Official Charts Company. 11 October 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
- ^ "Decapitated Billboard Charts". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 6, 2015. Retrieved October 13, 2014.
- ^ "Aktualności - Decapitated: nowy album we wrześniu! - Wytwórnia płytowa - Mystic Production" (in Polish). Mystic.pl. July 10, 2014. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
- ^ "Decapitated - Blood Mantra - Available At Nuclear Blast Records!" (in Polish). Media.nuclearblast.de. Retrieved July 25, 2014.