MANTICORA – To Kill to Live to Kill (August 3, 2018)

Danish thrash/power metallers, Manticora, are releasing their new album To Kill to Live to Kill. This is the first part of another Manticora concept double-album, that will be released as two separate albums, one year apart. It’s based on the horror novel that was written by the lead singer, Lars F. Larsen, and the artwork resembles the stories of the novel.

The music was recorded and mixed in Hansen Studios, with world-famous producer, Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Destruction) who also produced the first two Manticora albums back in the last millennium, and vocals were recorded with Tommy Hansen at Jailhouse studios (Helloween, Beyond Twilight). Tommy has previously produced five albums for the band.

Manticora have released 7 critically acclaimed albums since 1999, and toured numerous times around Europe as well as in the US + played at prestigious festivals, such as Wacken Open Air, Sweden Rock Festival and ProgPower USA.

Manticora was formed in 1997 by Lars Larsen (vocals), Kristian Larsen (guitars) and Mads Volf (drums). In the early days, the band was a foursome with bass player Rene as the last member – the young guys, laying the foundation of the Manticora-trademark sound; hard-hitting power metal with both epic and thrash elements.

In 1998 Manticora signed with Intromental Management and shortly afterward their first record deal was signed with Greek record label Black Lotus. The same year the band added an extra guitarist, and a keyboardist, to the line-up. The debut full-length disc, Roots Of Eternity, was released in summer 1999 and received a tremendously good response from both media and fans around the world.

2000 saw the band signing with Scarlet Records, and half a year later the next opus, Darkness With Tales To Tell was released, once again receiving great acclaim. In 2001 bassist Rene decided to leave the band to focus on his family. Kasper Gram was enrolled in the band. Along with the change of bassist came also the change of guitarist, as Flemming left and Martin Arendal joined the band.

In the fall of 2002, Hyperion was released. This was, so far, the most wide-spanning work of the band; an epic concept album, based on the award-winning sci-fi novel “Hyperion” by Dan Simmons. The album was whole-heartedly embraced by fans and media worldwide, and with a European tour in the spring of 2003 Manticora took another step up the ladder. Hyperion also saw the band changing into a thrashier and progressive direction than before.

In early 2004 the band began working on and releasing their next disc, 8 Deadly Sins, yet another conceptual one. In February 2005 the band toured throughout Europe together with Angra and Edenbridge. The tour was a great success for the band and they made a lot of new fans and friends there. Joining the band, was session-guitarist Stefan Johansson. The band then did their first ever (highly successful) US appearance at the ProgPower Festival in Atlanta, GA.

With Martin Arendal (guitars) returning to the fold after the tour, the band once again went into the studio, to record its 5th full-length album, the first part of the 2-album concept The Black Circus. Lyrically it deals with the horror story of a traveling circus. The album was bigger, better and more adventurous than ever before. After a mini-European tour, alongside Andromeda, Manticora hit Jailhouse Studio to finalize the 2nd part of The Black Circus. With The Black Circus Part 2 in their now extended catalog, the band went on both European and USA tours, as support for Jon Oliva’s Pain, and another tour was booked for Europe in May 2009, as support band for Circle II Circle. This time, going through 16 countries for 21 shows.

In 2010 Manticora‘s 7th full-length album was released worldwide. Safe was an even darker journey in the musical universe of Manticora. A European headliner tour was booked for October 2010, taking the band through nine different countries.

After a European headliner tour in 2014, Mads Volf decided to leave the drum-throne, to pursue other musical endeavors, and for the last 3 years, Manticora have spent, writing a grandiose double concept album, based on the 319-page novel, that lead singer Lars has written in the meantime.

The new release, which is entitled To Kill to Live to Kill is set for release on August 3rd, 2018 through Vicisolum Records – just 2 months after the novel is released.

Line-up:
Kristian Larsen – guitars
Lars F. Larsen – vocals
Stefan Johansson – guitars
Sebastian “Ceppe” Andersen – bass
Lawrence Dinamarca – Session Drums

Tracklisting:
01. “Piano Concerto 1 – B Flat minor…”
02. “Echoes of A Silent Scream”
03. “Through the Eyes of The Killer – Towering Over You”
04. “Katana – Awakening the Lunacy”
05. “The Farmer’s Tale Pt. 1 – The Aftermath of Indifference”
06. “The Devil in Lisbon” (instrumental)
07. “Growth”
08. “Humiliation Supreme” (instrumental)
09. “Nothing Lasts Forever”
10. “Katana – Opium”
11. “Through the Eyes of The Killer – Revival of The Muse That Is Violence”
12. “The Farmer’s Tale Pt. 2 – Annihilation at The Graves”