Signed to heavy-music stronghold Solid State, Norwegian prog-metal ouffit Mantric are gearing up to release their latest album, False Negative, later this spring. The veteran trio includes former members of Norway’s Extol, and like that beloved group, Mantric make music that’s soaring, adventurous, technical and emotive. Not surprisingly, considering their free-wheeling sound, the band members draw from a diverse assortment of musical influences, including plenty of mosh-pit fodder but lots of quieter, more introspective offerings. With that in mind, we caught up with Mantric’s Tor Magne Glidje to find out what five albums truly shaped him as an artist, and he had some great and wide-ranging picks, from goth giants to dream-pop icons to trip-hop pioneers. See them below.
The Cure – Pornography
To me, this is the Cure at their best. Simple, cold-sounding with great atmosphere.
Ved Buens Ende – Written in Waters
This album sounded very different from the rest of the Norwegian black-metal scene at the time. I still find this album inspiring even today.
Cocteau Twins – Heaven or Las Vegas
At the time when I was a lot into black metal, I also listened a lot to the 4AD bands. [Cocteau Twins are a] band that many indie bands wanted to sound like.
Massive Attack – Mezzanine
Besides listening mostly to metal at that time, Massive Attack kind of hit that same nerve and got accepted because of the noir vibe this album has.
Neurosis – Through Silver and Blood
Neurosis was one of those bands that showed me that hard music and metal didn’t need to have guitar harmonies like Maiden or Metallica.
