Mantic Ritual
Mantic Ritual |
|---|
Mantic Ritual (formerly Meltdown[1]) is a Thrash metal band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Releasing their debut album through Nuclear Blast Records[1], the band is generally considered to be on the forefront of a modern thrash metal revival[2][3].
History
Origin
Originally known as Meltdown, Mantic Ritual began writing and recording music in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania around 2004[4]. After the addition of guitarist Jeff Potts, the band moved to Hollywood, California in 2007 and quickly signed with metal giants Nuclear Blast[3].
The band recorded their debut album, Executioner[5], with famed metal producer Andy Classen (Dew-Scented, Rotting Christ) at Stage-one Studios in Borgentreich, Germany[6].
Name Change, Relocation
Citing legal reasons[1], the band chose to abandon the name Meltdown. This was also done to avoid confusion with other bands currently using the name. Mantic Ritual moved back to their hometown of Pittsburgh, participating in national tours with bands including Rotting Christ and Destruction.
Executioner was released in Europe on February 27th, 2009, and the US on March 10th, 2009.
Dan Wetmore departure, New Guitarist/Vocalist
On September 15th, 2009, Mantic Ritual announced through their MySpace that Dan Wetmore, the guitarist/vocalist, was leaving the band to pursue photography. Wetmore said that although he enjoyed playing with the band and writing music, he could not see himself spending life on the road.
In the same announcement, Mantic Ritual also stated that Dave Watson, a good friend of the band, was to fill in for Dan as a temporary replacement for the September/October 2009 shows. Soon after, Dave was asked to be the permanent guitarist/vocalist for Mantic Ritual, and is now playing full time.