… Read Full Bio ↴Manticora is a progressive power metal band from Hvidovre, Denmark.
Manticora was formed in 1997 by Lars Larsen (vocals), Kristian Larsen (guitars) and Mads Volf (drums) – these three have made up the core of the band ever since. In the early days the band was a foursome with bass player Rene as the last member. Soon after the band recorded the now legendary mini CD “Dead End Solution”, which marked the beginning of the Manticora-trademark sound; hard hitting power metal with both epic and thrash elements.
In 1998 Manticora signed with Intromental Management and shortly afterwards their first record deal was signed with Greek record label Black Lotus. The same year the band added an extra guitarist, Flemming, and a keyboardist, Jeppe, to the line-up. The debut full-length disc, “Roots Of Eternity”, was released in summer 1999, and received tremendously good response from both media and fans around the world.
2000 saw the band signing with the Italian record label Scarlet Records, and half a year later the next opus, the somewhat more melodic album, “Darkness With Tales To Tell”, was released, and 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 as new bass player, and his young energy kicked the band into even higher gear. Along with the change of bassist came also the change of guitarist, as Flemming left Manticora and Martin Arendal joined the band.
In 2002 the band played a brilliant gig at the Sweden Rock Festival to a large screaming and headbanging audience. In the fall 2002 “Hyperion” was released. This was the so-far most wide-spanning work of the band; an epic concept album, based on the award winning sci-fi novel “The Hyperion Cantos” by Dan Simmons. The album was whole-heartedly embraced by fans and media worldwide, and with a European tour in spring 2003 (with label mates Platitude as support band) Manticora took another step up the ladder.
In early 2004 the band began work on their next disc, “8 Deadly Sins”, yet another conceptual disc. The album was recorded in March/April 2004 in Jailhouse Studios with producer Tommy Hansen (Helloween, Pretty Maids, HateSphere, TNT etc.). 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 core of Lars, Mads, Kasper and Kristian was session-guitarist Stefan Johansson and Swedish keyboardist Andreas Lindahl. The band then did their first ever (highly successful) US appareance at the ProgPower Festival in Atlanta, GA (September 2005).
With Martin Arendal (guitars) returning to the fold instead of Stefan, the band once again went into studio, to record it’s 5th full-length album, the first part of the 2-album concept “The Black Circus”. Lyrically it deals with the horror story of a travelling circus in 19th century New England. The lyrics are written as letters from the main person in the story to another person. Once again produced by Tommy Hansen, the album is 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 catalogue, Manticora went on both European and USA tour, warming up 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, with Norwegians, Divided Multitude as support act.
However, personal tragedy struck the band on several levels, and a band hiatus was agreed upon, allowing only for single gigs and festival shows to be played and no new material to be written.
In August 2012, Manticora finally performed at the world's largest metal festival - Wacken Open Air, and it lead to the band, re-opening the goodiebag of writing new material. April 2013, saw the band, playing the prestigious PPM festival in Belgium, and a month later, Martin Arendal played his last show with Manticora (a smaller Danish show).
The future of Manticora is to write the 8th album, and 2014 will most likely mean some international touring - with a new lead guitarist, who is yet to be discovered.
THE VISION
Manticora Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
gray as the thoughts in my head
And i have been down for so long
always endless trails i tread
I've climbed the highest mountains
But I still can't reach the top
Looking at a wasteland
That just never seems to stop
Come walk with me the world to see
And look for understanding
Come walk with me blue sky to see
And hope to be set free
Then like from out of nowhere
a vision comes to me
Picturing the king of eagles
coming from the sea
He talks to me in tongues
That i have never known before
but i notice that i understand
as if it were my own
Come fly with me out to the sea
I'll show you understanding
Come fly with me the end to see
And i will set you free
So now im flying to the sea
To see the world with diffirent eyes
I've found a place to call my own
Where i can learn that i have been set free
The lyrics of Manticora's The Vision talks about a person who is feeling depressed and lost, as depicted by the gray sky and endless trails he treads. The character has tried to rise above it all by achieving great things, like climbing the highest mountains, but still, he cannot find peace or get to the top. The monochromatic scenery displays the lack of hope and vibrancy in his life. Suddenly, out of the blue, he has a vision of the King of Eagles coming to him from the sea, who speaks in a language, unlike what he knows, but still he understands. This meeting symbolizes a breakthrough moment in the character's life, where he finds hope and a new purpose.
As the King of Eagles invites him to fly with him, the character accepts this offer to see the world with different eyes and hopeful heart. By accepting this invitation, he understands that his problems are not isolated, and understanding and hope come when one navigates through life's endless possibilities. The lyrics convey a message of hope, understanding, and perseverance that faces the struggles of life.
Line by Line Meaning
Today the sky is gray
The weather outside reflects the state of my mind - desolate and uninviting.
gray as the thoughts in my head
My mind is heavy with despair.
And i have been down for so long
It feels like I've been hopeless forever, with no end in sight.
always endless trails i tread
My life is a monotonous routine of meaningless actions.
I've climbed the highest mountains
I have tried many things, but nothing seems to make me feel better.
But I still can't reach the top
Success and happiness seem perpetually out of reach.
Looking at a wasteland
My life appears as a barren and deserted terrain.
That just never seems to stop
There is no end in sight to the bleakness I feel.
Come walk with me the world to see
Join me on a journey to discover new perspectives and insights.
And look for understanding
Together, let's try to make sense of the world and our place in it.
Come walk with me blue sky to see
Join me in seeking hope and positivity.
And hope to be set free
We yearn to break free from the chains of despair and find happiness.
Then like from out of nowhere
Suddenly, a vision appears.
a vision comes to me
I see an unexpected image in my mind's eye.
Picturing the king of eagles
I visualize a majestic eagle, a symbol of strength and freedom.
coming from the sea
The eagle emerges from the vast and mysterious ocean.
He talks to me in tongues
He communicates in an unknown language.
That i have never known before
I am unfamiliar with this way of speaking.
but i notice that i understand
Surprisingly, I comprehend everything he says.
as if it were my own
It feels like I have always known this language, even though it is new to me.
Come fly with me out to the sea
Let us soar into the unknown and embrace new experiences.
I'll show you understanding
I will guide you towards greater comprehension and insight.
Come fly with me the end to see
Let us venture toward the end of our journey together.
And i will set you free
I promise to help you break from the cycle of despair and discover true freedom.
So now im flying to the sea
I am taking a leap of faith and embarking on a new adventure.
To see the world with diffirent eyes
I hope to gain a new perspective and find hope and positivity.
I've found a place to call my own
Along the journey, I have discovered a sense of belonging and purpose.
Where i can learn that i have been set free
I have finally found freedom from despair and hopelessness.
Contributed by Cole G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Emil Kanter Marin
I usually dont like powermetal, but this is good! Riffs kind of remind me of old In Flames :)
Caio One007
Riff fantastic. I love it. Manticora. Denmark
Emil Kanter Marin
@AgentFour Well, to be honest, many old In Flames riffs are very much inspired by new wave of british heavy metal. I see what you mean though, it's just that the first thing that came to mind for me was old IF since i've listened to them so much. Especially that riff in the beginning.
AgentFour
@herremilkanter - In Flames? You're kidding. This is most akin to NWOBHM.