MANA – Demo 2024

I accidentally stumbled on this wild and reckless demo output by the Finnish act named Mana, and it turns out that this potent three-track offering of theirs is a solid and well-written slab of raw and ugly black metal that works like a charm right now thanks to yours truly having had a horrid day at work. Mana itself is a rather obscure and intriguing entity in that I have had absolutely no luck looking them up online nor have I have been able to learn anything about the duo other than the extremely sparse info listed on Bandcamp. But that makes it so much cooler and more interesting, right? Anyway, this recording captures a dark energy and conjures up an entrancing vibe that recalls Beastcraft, Urgehal, and arguably also Taake to a certain extent. The epic feel of the songs may be subtle, but it is definitely there, shimmering underneath the sinister surface. The riffs and motifs are simple and accessible, the harsh vocals sound excellent on top of it all, and the material is essentially as intense as it is expressive.

Mana have unleashed a deeply passionate and engaging work of violent beauty that bodes very well for the future, and this one is as direct as it gets and stripped of any superfluous ideas. It simply flows incredibly well and gets the job done in an efficient manner. Well worth looking into for all underground black metal maniacs and freaks out there.