MANTAR
JOSEPH STANNARD
Grungetown Hooligans II
MANTA RECORDINGS/BRUTAL PANDA
Bremen-based fire-starters get their 90s groove on
German sludge duo Mantar - drummer Erinç Sakarya and guitarist Hanno Klänhard - return with an album of covers sourced from the independent rock of the 1990s. It can’t be denied that Mantar make these grunge-era songs their own; the sticking point is how they achieve this assimilation. Each original is crushed and compacted to fit the band’s extremely basic sound (blockish guitars, throaty vocals, troglodyte rhythms) with very little variation throughout. This leaves the listener with the distinct impression of sameyness. Taken individually each cover works just fine - Mazzy Star’s Ghost Highway, Mudhoney’s Who You Drivin’ Now and Babes In Toyland’s Bruise Violet are a lot of fun - but as a cumulative experience Grungetown Hooligans II is like an album of bonus tracks that repeatedly tempts the listener to press pause (if not stop) before the running time is done.