Manifest – The Sinking Review

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I’ll admit that once in a while I pass through all the albums I have to review in the week just to see if I can rule one of them out. It’s just that some weeks are more than others. I mean, there are more albums to review in some weeks than others. As I said before, the more different the music in the album the easier to write the review. It’s easier to write about the differences than about the equalities. I just think so. Other trait than attracts me the most is when I’m surprised by the music the band plays. Sometimes the deal is the mixes, other times the deal is the vocals or the instrumentals. So, there are a lot of things that amaze me and Manifest with “The Sinking” surprised me with all of them.

“The Sinking” absolutely delivers no track as the other. It’s really fair to say that it’s very defficult to label what the genre Manifest play as there are lots of influences recognized here mixed with the good old Metal music. Though there is a connecting line among all songs and that is the mix with Red Hot Chilli Peppers and System of a Down. The groove from Red Hot Chilli Peppers and the power and the right to it from System of a Down as a general rule. However, sometimes the train derails in tracks as in “Infant Rage” where an experimental urge goes out from the sewer. Stian Leknes vocals goes from the Hardcore roars to the almost spoken lines. To me voices like his that give me all will to go on writing and writing. In terms of instrumentals the band is also pretty varied. “The Sinking” is a real hodgepodge of Metal subgenres and that’s what makes it very interesting. There is also room for tracks with lots of melody as “The Sinking Pt. 1” whose slow cadence and strumming obliges Stian Leknes to show us one more of his vocal abilities. But pay attention, “The Sinking Pt. 1” isn’t a ballad. It’s eerie and gloomy with a contained rage that fights to be finally released. The thrill continues with “The Sinking Pt. 2” and its long initial speech and the completely different approach from the previous track. “The Sinking Pt. 2” is faster with a catchy guitar riff. To some extent, the track addresses to Metallica when the band was Metal due to the Thrash influences in the guitar riffing. Sometimes vocals sound a bit out due the effects the band decided to apply on it.

“The Sinking” is the kind of album I love to review because it obliges me to think out of the box to explain what I’m listening here. For Metal fans that want that something different from a band.

Manifest “The Sinking” will be released on August 26th via ViciSolum Productions.

Track Listing:

  1. The Origins (of Beebee _ BB)
  2. Upriver
  3. Jobkill
  4. Final Curtain Fall
  5. Mistakes
  6. Infant Rage
  7. L.G.A.D.
  8. The Sinking Pt. 1
  9. The Sinking Pt. 2
  10. The Meeting
  11. Better Ideas / Worst Solutions

Watch “Written in Blood” official video here: