Tønsberg, Norway — After more than a decade of carving their own unruly path, The Mansters return with ‘Snapshots from a Shitshow’, their most confident and unapologetic album to date.
Once firmly planted in hardcore, The Mansters have gradually stripped away genre constraints, letting instinct, irreverence, and raw energy lead the way. Sure, it’s still pretty rapid, and to the lazy listene,r it would still be simply hardcore without substance, but as soon as the needle drops and you get balls deep into the opener, there is a whole lot more besides going on under the hood of this hot rod rocket ride.
If there is a Scandinavian sound to a lot of these bands, then so be it. There is comonality between the harder edges of Turbonegro, Zugly and the mighty Gluecifer, and to absorb all of that and more, the result is a melting pot of goodness that spans the full spectrum of punk, metal and everything in between. Intense, melodic, raw, and Joyful, often all at once.
‘The World is My Ulcer’ sets the tone. A great sounding record would be the first thign I noticed before the songs unleashed some great playing and really well written songs. ‘to the shoegaze-tinged closer, ‘Snapshots from a Shitshow’ delivers a self-aware, chaotic ride through punk, hardcore, and rock and to manage that to such a high standard isn’t easy nor is it easy to dish up such a strong set of songs. ‘Lessons In Giving Up’ has a wonderful gurgling bass thump with an excellent melody. The band don’t take themselves too seriously and takes aim at themselves, society, and everything in between.
Lyrically, the album dives into common themes but delivers them with a sense of humour and self-awareness, giving the record a warmth and big heart vibes. Living in the modern age, of course, it’s all about ‘I Should Be Getting More Likes’ (you and me bot,h guys, you and me both). Playing on words and song titles or well-known phrases seems to be a theme in that part of the world, so of course, there’s a song called ‘Run To The Pils.
In an era of noise and posturing, The Mansters prove that punk still thrives when it’s honest, self-aware, and free from pretension. Oh, and an album bursting with top tunes, so it’s a win-win there then go search this record out, it won’t disappoint pinky promise.
Author: Dom Daley
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