Reign in Thrash: Mantic Ritual, 'Executioner'

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YOU'D BE FORGIVEN thinking that Mantic Ritual's debut album, "Executioner" (Nuclear Blast), is lost classic of 1980s thrash metal.

But the four musicians who comprise the Pittsburgh band weren't even born when groups like Anthrax, Metallica and Slayer started riffing around the world. Mantic Ritual's musicians range from 20 to 23 years old, but according to drummer Adam Haritan the group is made up of old souls.

"None of us were big fans of the modern music scene when we were growing up," he said. "I was listening to a lot of Motley Crue and Guns N' Roses, and then I started getting in to the early punk stuff like The Ramones, Sex Pistols and GBH. So did some of the other guys in the band, and from there we just started getting into a little bit more heavy stuff like Metallica and Slayer and Diamond Head — it's just a natural progression. I also listened to a lot of death metal, but there was never the modern music that appeal to me. I always found satisfaction listening to productions from the past. It just seemed more real and more organic the way music sounded back then."

Haritan stresses Mantic Ritual isn't trying to re-create anything but rather capture the spirit of headbangers past.

"It's not our goal or our intention to play '80s thrash metal; we're just taking influences from a variety of the bands that we listen to," Haritan said. "When we started this band, obviously early Metallica, Mercyful Fate and Slayer played huge roles in our songwriting, and we kind of incorporated that into our style. Just from there we started to progress and develop our own sound while keeping the fundamental aspects that made heavy metal so great back in the early days, the original days. I think a lot of the feeling an naturalness of heavy metal has been lost throughout the years with the modern bands, with the modern productions. We're just trying to tap back into that and revitalize it."

Mantic Ritual's love of classic thrash extends right down to the musicians' fashion, which includes white high-top sneakers, long hair with bangs and a preponderance of denim.

"It's something that was always a part of us; we're not trying to look old-school thrash in any way," Haritan said. "Before the four of us were even friends, we just naturally dressed like this, looked like this. We like to wear clothes that fit us and we like to wear clothes that are in good taste — and I think these clothes are in good taste, somewhat [laughs]."

The band is band in its Pittsburgh hometown after a yearlong sojourn to Los Angeles, which ended up being a fantastic career move for the group.

"In the year that we spent there, we got signed, we flew to Germany to record our album, we expanded our fan base tremendously, we got management," Haritan said. "It just seemed to benefit our band in more ways that could have happened in Pittsburgh. I have no regrets about dropping everything in Pittsburgh just to be there for the band. [But] after a year, we talked about it and thought it would be better to tour from our hometown of Pittsburgh, where rent is much cheaper and we can actually afford to live a decent life as a band. As long as we're on the road, that's our job."

If there is a drawback to being back in the Steel City, it's that the music scene doesn't necessarily cater to metalheads. But Mantic Ritual's old-school sensibilities act like a group hug that brings punks and headbangers together.

"There's hardly a good metal scene in Pittsburgh," Haritan said, "and that's one of the reasons why we moved to Los Angeles. To the younger generation, Pittsburgh is more known for the crusty punk scene. That's who we originally started playing with — punk bands and underground hardcore bands. And those fans took a likening to us because I think there's an old school punk feel to us as well — the attitude, some of the imagery, the fashion. It kinds of blend together."

» Jaxx, 6355 Rolling Rd., Springfield, Va.; with Pro-Pain, Mantic Ritual, The Rejected, Brutallion, Sun., June 21, 5 p.m., $20; 703-569-5940.

» Sonar, 407 E. Saratoga St., Baltimore; with Pro-Pain, Mantic Ritual; Mon., June 22, 8 p.m., $15; 410-783-7888.