Mandragora is a Lithuanian melodic death metal band, which was established in 1998. In 2008 they participated in the Wacken Open Air “Metal battle contest”, a contest they won, which gave them the honor to play at the Wacken Open Air “Metal Battle” finals in Wacken, Germany. Carnal Cage is their second full length album, their first one, At the End was released in 2005.

The sound is like any other melodic death metal bands – very original, quite heartfelt and somewhat epic. The vocals are comparable to Peter Tägtgren (Bloodbath, Hypocrisy, and Pain), so if you are a fan of the vocals on the older Bloodbath albums, this will definitely fall into your taste. The vocals are also somewhat similar to Johan Heggs (Amon Amarth) vocals. Some would argue that the vocals are boring and need variety, but I find them somewhat original, charming and compelling. The sound itself is very similar to older Dark Tranquility, with dreamy and fantastic guitar riffs, quite brutal use of bass, awesome drum fills and quite sophisticated use of the double pedal.

There is not really anything bad to strike down on, on this album. The coverart is not that amazing, and it is actually quite difficult to see, what it is supposed to portray. But otherwise, I cannot find anything bad to put my finger on, because the album functions very well as a whole. The transitions from one track to another function very well. The album is honestly a delight to enjoy as a whole, but several tracks on the album have hit-potential. Tracks like “Unconsciousness”, “Sand and dust” and “The Curse of Existence” gets easily stuck on ones head, and the melodic elements in these tracks are extraordinary.

Sadly, there is nothing progressive about this band. They stay in the comfort-zone of melodic death metal, so the album does not contain anything that you have not really heard before - similarities to earlier mentioned Dark Tranquility and Amon Amarth at times a bit too clear. I do not find this too disappointing though – I like the almost familiar sound, and if you do not rely too much on progression, I think you will enjoy this album as well, as it contains many positive aspects – catchy guitar riffs, slamming use of drums, appropriate amounts of bass and amazing, somewhat clear growling vocals.

I can personally say that I enjoyed this album very much, and that I will probably listen to it a lot in the future. This album could – with the right amount of promotion – become very popular.

http://www.mandragora.lt/

_