Mercyful Fate cover is the B-side of ‘Crusader,’ limited 7-inch vinyl available Friday
Reunited thrashers MANTIC RITUAL have unveiled a visualizer video for their cover of Mercyful Fate’s classic, “Black Funeral.” The video for “Black Funeral” can be viewed here:
The track is the B-side of the 7-inch vinyl release for their recently-revealed single, “Crusader.” The limited-edition of 300 collector’s 7-inch vinyl with “Crusader” – the band’s first new music in 12 years from the reunited group featuring original members Dan Wetmore (vocals/guitars), Jeff Potts (guitars), and Ben Mottsman (bass) alongside new drummer Carlos Cruz (Warbringer, Machine Head, Power Trip) – as the A-side and “Black Funeral” as the B-side is set to be released this Friday, January 28th. Order now at https://www.smarturl.com/
“I can’t think of a metal band I like more than Mercyful Fate; melodic, dark, and shockingly heavy at times,”
explains guitarist/vocalist Dan Wetmore.
“We’ve covered ‘Doomed by the Living Dead’ and ‘Gypsy’ in the past, but I wanted something direct and short. ‘Black Funeral’ really delivers. Heavy as hell, straight to the punch and then it ends with two beautiful leads. Perfect. We wanted to do this largely note for note, true to the original, just a bit faster. My vocal style has changed a bit. I scream less, and I sing more. And my range is much bigger. This seemed a challenge, but it came out in just a few takes. All hail Satan!!”
The early beginnings of MANTIC RITUAL were birthed in the band’s hometown of Pittsburgh in 2005. Performing initially under the name Meltdown, the group began building a buzz with Northeast heavy metal fans over the next two years with their combination of boundless thrash enthusiasm and superb songsmanship. The band moved across the country to Los Angeles in 2007, where performances alongside leaders of the budding Southern California thrash revival such as Warbringer, Fueled By Fire, and Merciless Death earned them attention from discerning metal audiences and a record deal with Nuclear Blast Records.
The group soon changed their name to MANTIC RITUAL, and released their first – and so far only – full-length record “Executioner” in March 2009. The album received critical acclaim at the time of its release, with MetalSucks praising the band’s “ability to display solid songcraft while maintaining a high-level of heaviness,” Blabbermouth taking note of their “passion, chemistry and intensity,” and the Washington Post noting that “MANTIC RITUAL’s old-school sensibilities act like a group hug that brings punks and headbangers together.”
MANTIC RITUAL followed up the release of “Executioner” with live touring alongside heavy metal titans such as Rotting Christ and Destruction, before dissolving in 2010. Potts and Mottsman later went on to join Warbringer for their 2013 release, “IV: Empires Collapse,” with Potts himself also performing on Gygax’s 2018 release, “2nd Edition.” Potts, Mottsman, and Wetmore began writing and recording new music together – with Cruz now joining them on drums – in the beginning of 2021. The band’s first new music in 12 years was recently unveiled with “Crusader,” which can be heard at https://www.youtube.com/watch?
The release of “Crusader” and their cover of Mercyful Fate’s “Black Funeral” is only the beginning of this exciting new chapter in the story of MANTIC RITUAL. More information on new music from MANTIC RITUAL will be unveiled in the weeks to come by M-Theory Audio and at www.facebook.com/manticritual.
MANTIC RITUAL is:
Dan Wetmore (vocals/guitars)
Jeff Potts (guitars)
Ben Mottsman (bass)
Carlos Cruz (drums)
For more information:
www.facebook.com/manticritual
www.instagram.com/manticritual
https://manticritual.bandcamp.
www.m-theoryaudio.com
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