Available for purchase and download Feb. 12th!

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Metal Artists to Release Pop Rock Love Song Albums
By Rick Role

MÄNTICORE and pop rock love songs. It might sound strange to use them in the same sentence together but there’s a high likelihood that it will soon be a regular occurrence. An inside source at Pride Records has informed us that the rumors are true: side albums are being produced featuring two of MÄNTICORE's own, and neither album is expected to fall into the metal or hard rock genre.

Genos, the lead singer of MÄNTICORE, and Roy Mustang the newly instated lead guitarist, have been seen walking in and out of recording studios to perform songs they've been writing for these side projects. The songs for these albums have been described as mostly pop rock and mostly love ballads, something closer to the material we would have expected from Flashstep. It’s anyone’s guess what inspired the two rock stars to write so many love songs but more importantly were the results any good?

We were sent a preview of a couple tracks from each of the two albums. Here’s what we thought:

We started with “Holding Out For A Hero” from Genos' album. This song was definitely the closest to what we regularly expect from MÄNTICORE's lead; loud drums and intense guitar playing in a heavy metal style. Genos' vocals ring out clear and strong with drama and desperation, bringing some of that MÄNTICORE tortured-soul sound to the song. The lyrics are optimistic but the drama keeps the song very much in the spirit of his usual work. Basically the song is exactly what we like to hear from Genos.

The other song from Genos' album was “Avalanche.” The drumming was there, the electric guitars, but this was far from hard rock. After hearing “Holding Out For A Hero” this track sounded incredibly tame. Tame, but surprisingly good. While we all agreed that we prefer Genos' voice paired with the sound of epic screaming guitars, the pop rock style compliments his voice better than we expected. In many ways with the background music that much more subtle it offers a chance to appreciate just how good Genos' voice really is. Had he not gone into heavy metal, Genos surely would have fit in fine in pop and other types of rock music. With that voice he could even sing circles around some of pop’s biggest stars.

We weren’t sure what to expect out of Roy Mustang’s album. While we’re now well acquainted with his guitar skills, Mustang was in another band before MÄNTICORE that was more rock or hard rock than heavy metal, and several early youtube videos have featured him playing acoustic guitar. We were pleasantly surprised by what we heard. While Mustang’s voice doesn't carry the dark and raw-emotional sound that Genos contributes so well to MÄNTICORE, Mustang sings like the pure-hearted boy next door that you would want to hear sing about love, dreams, and bittersweet memories. “Can’t Help Falling In Love” is exactly the type of song you’ll want to slow dance to with that special someone.

“Shades of Grey” was the only non-love song sent to us. We’re happy to say it includes some chords of Mustang on the electric guitar, something we hoped to hear on his album. The song itself hits a more political chord, speaking to the tragedies of war. It’s a catchy song with a great message; our only concern is that it might not fit in so well with the rest of the album. Still we could be wrong as we do not know the other tracks. Perhaps Mustang’s album is meant to be about more than simply love?

Our source said both albums will be released in time for that special day of romance. If your sweetheart is a MANTICORE fan or even if they just enjoy sweet love songs, consider giving one of these albums to them as a gift this holiday. Roy Mustang’s album Elizabeth and Genos' album Mechanical Heart will be released in stores and available for download a week from now on the 12th of February.