Mantas was an early death metal band formed in 1982 by Chuck Schuldiner (guitar, occasional vocals), Rick Rozz (guitar) and Kam Lee (vocals, drums). The group released several demo tapes that were circulated in underground tape-trading circuits but never recorded an official album. Their "Emotional" demo was the only recording to feature a bass player (originally listed as "unknown", his name was later revealed to be Dave Tett, whose tenure in the band was brief). Mantas split in 1984, but later regrouped under the name Death.