Manticora
The Black Circus Part I - Letters

The Danish band, after missteps like "Hyperion" and "8 deadly sins", had the courage to stop, think, and adjust accordingly. The band from Hvidovre took two years off and released in 2006 their fifth album of their career, started with "Roots of eternity" in 1999.

Once again led by Lars Larsen behind the microphone, the six members decided to give a sharp turn to their way of playing: if before Manticora had carved a niche in the music market, it was for their power. A powerful, Teutonic-influenced power, a bit out of the ordinary but still "power metal". The black circus part I - Letters opens a new period instead: everything becomes heavier, from the sounds to the overall atmosphere. The riffs from Kristian Larsen and Martin Arendal become fuller, at times even delving into thrash. Moreover, insertions and orchestrations with a clear progressive mark are not disdained, in an "ensemble" decidedly more varied and intriguing than the past work of the Danes. Concluding it all is a horror-themed concept, heavily drawn from the master Howard Phillips Lovecraft, increasingly "raided" in the musical field.

That the work is more varied compared to the past can already be understood by the presence of four fast orchestral inserts titled "Intuneric" which have the task of breaking the robust flow of the album. This choice is somewhat out of place, showing again how the period of uncertainty due to the incomplete success of the two previous CDs has not been fully absorbed. For the rest, Manticora seems to have found their real musical dimension with this work, which will then be carried forward both in the second chapter of "The black circus" and with the latest "Safe". There is a renewed desire to amaze and try new solutions: the title track opens the CD strongly, showing us a band with a combative propensity. A renewed compositional power that Larsen and company seemed to have lost. The choruses of "Enchanted mind", combined with riffs on the verge of thrash, underline the return to excellent levels of the Danish band: The black circus part I is a valid work that should be analyzed beyond the prejudices that normally envelop power metal, especially when we're not facing a true power album, as many industry experts have mistakenly defined it. The evocative lightness of "Freakshow", together with the female choruses of the splendid "Wisdom", clarify that the fifth album of Manticora contains within it a diversity of styles and choices that make it positive, even though it is far from being a masterpiece.

Upon its release, it was welcomed like a godsend, only to be gradually shelved. It was difficult to think of a band that after the bland "8 deadly sins" could come back with an album of this kind. The Danish combo, now a mainstay of European metal, managed to rise from the ashes, offering a renewed sound, but above all, it has swept away all the doubts raised about them, thanks to a complex, varied and engaging work, in other words, returning to propose all those elements that Manticora had lost.

"My dear friend... I bid you welcome to the show..."

1. "Enter The Carnival" (2:07)
2. "The Black Circus" (5:26)
3. "Intuneric I" (0:31)
4. "Enchanted Mind" (5:30)
5. "Intuneric II" (1:02)
6. "Forever Carousel" (5:54)
7. "Freakshow" (4:53)
8. "Gypsies Dance Part 1" (6:34)
9. "Intuneric III" (0:36)
10. "Wisdom" (7:01)
11. "Intuneric IV" (2:00)
12. "Disciples Of The Entities" (5:48)