French progressive metal and avant-garde outfit Mantra have released their new single “Winter II – Vessel”, taken from their upcoming seasonal concept album Celestial. Accompanied by an official music video, the track marks the transition from autumn to winter within the album’s narrative arc.
Watch the video:
From the opening moments, Vessel sets a colder and more introspective tone, reflecting the arrival of winter and the retreat inward that comes with it. The band’s sound here is sharper, more angular, embracing complexity, asymmetrical rhythms, and a deliberately stripped-back production to suit the season’s atmosphere.
“The idea of composing an album in four seasons didn’t just mean releasing new tracks every three months,” explains Arthur Lauth, bassist and the band’s sound engineer. “We composed, arranged, and mixed each season differently so that each would have its own sonic identity. For winter, we aimed for colder, drier tones to place the listener in a forest or a snow-covered mountain.”
“As usual, these tracks contain their share of enigmas and concepts,” adds Gabriel Junod, drummer. “On Vessel, for example, the number 9 is omnipresent.”
Winter II – Vessel also echoes the complexity of Laniakea, the band’s 2016 conceptual debut that first gained them critical attention.
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