Manticora
Darkness With Tales To Tell

Danish power metal, solid, at times epic, at times thrash. A bit of heavy here and there, a bit of keyboards, powerful riffs, and here comes Darkness with tales to tell, the second studio album by Manticora.

After the failure to organize a European tour, the Danish band worked hard to compile material and bring to life the second chapter of their discography. A work that generally follows the classic style of Teutonic power, but does not disdain those keyboard inserts in the Blind Guardian style, as well as the powerful riffs of the "school" of Iced Earth.

The result of this blend of genres, diversified yet complementary, is an album that certainly won't remain in the annals of musical history forever, but which still manages to pleasantly surprise the listener, thanks to compositions that are never banal and above all thanks to dynamic and articulate songwriting, which contrary to the lyrics (one of their weak points), gives Darkness with tales to tell that something extra that makes the entire platter appealing.

A platter that opens with the now proverbial intro and subsequently unleashes with "The chance of dying in a dream": a concentration of power expressed through crushing riffs and sustained rhythms. Following these same coordinates is "Dynasty of fear", another power/heavy/thrash bullet of guaranteed heft, where solo guitarist Schultz Flemming emerges, demonstrating a good ability to create original solos without falling into 20/30 seconds of headless speed evolutions.

The first three tracks already allow us to highlight two elements: the first concerns the voice of singer Lars Larsen, certainly suitable for the musical proposal but perhaps a bit too static on low tones. The second element that differentiates this album from the debut Roots of eternity is the greater heaviness of the music itself, made more "solid" by more thrash inserts. In fact, the elaborate "Dragon's mist" shows just that, while "The puzzle" takes us directly to the exact opposite: arpeggios, ballad-like progression, and an atmosphere of absolute effect. In my view, the highlight of the album and one of Manticora's best songs.

After listening to Darkness with tales to tell, one wonders why some evidently filler songs like "The nightfall war" and "Lost souls" were included, which break the good rhythm of the full length. A minor flaw because a couple of tracks don't ruin a genuine work, which despite possibly being unoriginal, contains several points for reflection.

A must-listen.

1. "From Far Beyond" (00:39)
2. "The Chance Of Dying In A Dream" (5:29)
3. "Dynasty Of Fear" (4:45)
4. "Dragon's Mist" (8:57)
5. "Felice" (6:37)
6. "The Nightfall War" (5:28)
7. "The Puzzle" (6:11)
8. "Critical Mass" (5:03)
9. "Lost Souls" (6:01)
10. "The Twilight Shadow" (5:26)
11. "Shadows With Tales To Tell" (7:04)