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Mantic Ritual Shares Music Video For "Crusader," Their First New Song In 13 Years

Mantic Ritual release music video for “Crusader,” the first new song from the reunited thrashers since their 2009 Nuclear Blast debut. “Crusader” was originally released earlier this year to all digital platforms, in addition to a limited 7” single backed with the group’s take on the Mercyful Fate classic “Black Funeral.” The music video, which can be seen below, was shot in the Mojave Desert by producer Randall Smith and edited by Kai Young and captures an intense performance by the band complementing the infectious balance of high-energy traditional melodicism with thrashy break-neck aggression.

"With no festivals or tours on the schedule, we felt it was really important to make a simple, performance-oriented video," explains vocalist/guitarist Dan Wetmore. "It was about getting the Mantic boys together and once again telling the dumbest jokes and being Beavis and Butthead x2, all the while making a sincerely mad clip. Filmed out near Mojave, we took our time hashing out that Pittsburgh/So-Cal vibe. ‘Crusader’ is already out, so this is a weird order of operations, but at approximately 1500 followers on instagram, you gotta ask yourself, does it matter?! Good news is, we make music cuz we’re still pissed and still metal believers. If we were in it for cash, we’d have stuck with Nuclear Blast and made that weird euro pop metal. Enjoy, my friends!"

Mantic Ritual are spread across 3 states but that didn’t stop the core teaming up with friend and fan Carlos Cruz (Warbringer, Hexen, Exmortus), who has joined the outfit’s ranks, to crank out a few more originals and covers to please fans asking for "Crusader," "Black Funeral" and more on CD. Sept. 2nd Mantic Ritual will release, "Heart Set Stone," a 6-song collection of 3 originals and 3 covers, including the aforementioned in addition to renditions of classics from British hardcore originators G.B.H. and Canadian thrash legends Razor.

"OK! The Mantic Ritual EP has an official release date. Excited? We figure you’ll find plenty to do before physical copies are in-hand, but for all the hungry thrash maniacs, we hope it’ll bounce around in the back of your mind," comments Dan Wetmore. "Six tracks, three original, three covers. It’ll contain ‘Crusader’ and ‘Black Funeral,’ but the rest are virgin Mantic recordings. This is a diverse EP. And you can hear the bass. And the leads are the best yet. And the covers are 100% the exact shit that helped start Mantic Ritual in the first place. It’s like blasting forward, with the choice bits of the past attached to big, heavy chains. And keep in mind, we have the future full-length written entirely. This EP is the beer before the burger, the weed before sex… It’s a six-song EP offered on compact disc and cassette tape. This is high technology for late ‘80s fans. Hope you can handle it!"