Mānbryne joined the ever-growing Polish black metal scene with Heilsweg: O udręce ciała i tułaczce duszy in 2021, showing a level of polish and songwriting that already stood out. The material utilized balanced tense blasting and aggressive leads with darker melodies and slower moments, sometimes bringing mid-period Blaze of Perdition to mind. This made sense given the involvement of that group’s vocalist S., but even with the similarities Mānbryne brought plenty to the table to make them worth paying attention to. Two years later they have returned with a new drummer and album number two, Interregnum: O próbie wiary i jarzmie zwątpienia. Rather than radically changing gears or throwing in some curveballs, this sophomore release refines everything from its predecessor and offers riffs that draw you in even faster than before.
Despite only being a few minutes shorter than its predecessor, Interregnum feels more concise and goes by quickly despite the length of some of the individual tracks. Except for the fifth track which acts as an interlude, each piece is between six and eight minutes in length, but Mānbryne crams so many twists and turns and haunting riffs that you’ll be at the edge of your seat from beginning to end. Opener “Piach i niepamięć” makes a great first impression with somber acoustic guitar and orchestration that creates a more cinematic approach, transitioning naturally into the layers of abrasive guitars and pounding drums. Mānbryne still utilizes that more modern, polished take on black metal where the writing offers harsher blasting where jagged edges and thick layers attempt to suffocate the listener as well as slower, methodical passages where the darkness and tension remains at a high. But compared to some of their peers that have utilized these approaches over the past decade, Mānbryne shakes things up a bit more per song and offers multiple peaks that stand out across repeat listens. “Piach i niepamięć” ends with a very powerful, sweeping riff that feels like it could knock down walls, while “Suma wszystkich strat” leans into initial fury and violence before offering haunting acoustic passages. Like Heilsweg, there are a lot of nuances to these songs that don’t become clear until multiple times through, but the difference with Interregnum is the details that do pop out are a bit more immediate. “Grzechy ojców” does admittedly have just a little less impact than the rest of the album as it comes off as a bit too straightforward in how it builds up, but it really says something that even the weakest track here is considerably stronger than your average black metal band. Mānbryne has taken what worked on their debut and polished it to a razor-sharp level, ensuring there is plenty to keep listeners coming back for another burst of darkness.
S. has impressed me in both Blaze of Perdition and Mānbryne, as his raspy scream delivers an immense amount of power and more recent material from Blaze of Perdition has found him experimenting with some slightly cleaner tones. For Mānbryne S. has pivoted back towards the harshest end of the spectrum, as each word seems to cut through the layers of instrumentation with a considerable amount of force. As you make your way through Interregnum some other pitches come into play, with some of the shrieks bringing in a more rabid quality that will likely send chills down your spine. For closer “Pierwszy kamień” the group brought in Wij’s Tuja Szmaragd as a guest vocalist, and her operatic singing hovers over the recording in a haunting and captivating way. Like the debut, Interregnum’s vocal performance impresses frequently and has just as many sections that stand out when compared to the instrumental work.
Mānbryne’s sophomore effort brings some incredible moments with it, and the way their songs twist and turn will keep listeners engaged from beginning to end. Their approach to black metal still sounds familiar, especially to anyone that’s listened to earlier Blaze of Perdition or other Polish black metal from the last decade, but the quality here is once again so high that it makes them stand out. It’ll be interesting to see where they go on album three as they’ve polished this direction to its most refined level, but I remain confident that whatever they choose to do will be worth looking out for. Interregnum: O próbie wiary i jarzmie zwątpienia is available from Malignant Voices and Terratur Possessions.
-Review by Chris Dahlberg