You might consider the new release from the band Mentor to be the perfect soundtrack for Halloween, because based on the album’s title alone this is one horrifying extreme metal release. “Wolves, Wraiths and Witches,” is the band’s third full-length album to date and tells haunting crypt dwelling tales with a merciless blitzkrieg of brutality.
The Polish based band goes straight for the jugular on this release by throwing together some sinister sounding blackened thrash metal with a violent kick of old school hardcore punk. Out of the nine tracks off of this album I can tell you without hesitation that each piece of music comes charging at you like a machete wielding lunatic looking to unleash havoc. Probably what stood out the most on this release was the bombastic off the wall and into the bloody pit type of energy, which is captured extreme well throughout the release in terms of the recording quality.
Out of the nine face shredding tracks on this album, picking a favorite will be an extremely difficult task simply due to the fact that each song flows with a feverish sounding aura. From the opening song, “Equal in the Fire” to the final track, “Sealed in a Tomb,” the riffs coming violently blasting out of the speakers, while the band’s drummer unleashes an onslaught of rhythmic destruction. Also, the bass playing on this album is perfectly captured throughout the entire release and provides an extra boost of sickening devastation to the overall sound. Songs like, “Fed After Midnight” and “The Great Grave in the Sky,” are presented with a very old school hardcore/thrash mentality, which is always nice to hear when done right.
A significant amount of metal bands have explored this style of extreme metal before, and the bands that tend to excel are the ones that are able to make it their own. Mentor is not trying to reinvent the wheel by any means, but this group is definitely determined and has a strong passion for the music that they record. Songs like, “Creature Feature,” “Dance of the Dead,” and “A Night So Grim,” blend the worlds of horror and metal together for a slaughterhouse full of ear bursting insanity. Lyrically, I thought the band created some vivid sounding tales of terror to accompany the gruesome sounding instrumental compositions.
Mentor is a band that I believe can appeal to a fair amount of extreme metal fans, especially those who wish to throw on an album that conjures up a wicked and raw sound. “Wolves, Wraiths and Witches,” is a release that has very little flaws, mainly because this band has a confident and passionate drive from the start of the album until the very end. Overall, I would say this is an extremely solid release, which is highly worth checking out if you are into ghoulish lyrical themes and bone crushing arrangements of nightmarish proportions.
Check of the track "Equal in the Fire" below:
Mentor Bandcamp:
Great review as always Robby.
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