Manimal – Purgatorio

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You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. That’s what Manimal promise and deliver. Opening track “Black Plague” is strong with catchy riffing. An old school HM band with many traces of the 1990s Metal and a strong taste of Judas Priest’s “Painkiller” era. Manimal deal very well with a voice contrast which can be at the same time strong and harsh and extremely melodic. Guitar riffing helps a lot with the idea contrasting. Though this sonance isn’t  exactly new, Manimal give it their personal touch writing amazing and enthusiastic tracks.

As its peers, “Purgatorio” deals very well with changes of pace among tracks. There are fast, cadenced and slow tracks in “Purgatorio” as expected. But guess what? It’s great to do that because writing songs with the same old pace is boring sometimes. Diverse sonority is what we expect, even if it is in the pace or cadence. Samuel “Sam” Nyman does a pretty good job with his voice. The dude varies it a lot. A lesson taught by good old Metal singers as Rob Halford. Listen to “Behind the Enemy Lines” to get to know all his vocal range.

The keyboards in “Purgatorio” helps a lot with the melodic lines. It breaks a bit of all the aggression the guitar gives and the result is a pleasant sonance and, for Manimal’s sake, makes them stay away from Judas Priest giving them that personal touch I told before. Adding keyboards to Metal music was a great gain. The instrument makes sonance stronger, the odd it may look because it adds more musical flexibility due to its near infinite musical range of effects and sonority. It’s difficult to wonder a track like “Edge of Darkness” or “The Fear Within” without the keyboards.

Even though, Manimal are no wonder in terms of new sonority, “Purgatorio” does a pretty good in keeping the flame high.

Manimal “Purgatorio” will be released on September 07th via AFM Records.

Track Listing:

  1. Black Plague
  2. Purgatorio
  3. Manimalized
  4. Spreading the Dread
  5. Traitor
  6. Behind Enemy Lines
  7. Denial
  8. Edge of Darkness
  9. The Fear Within

Watch “Purgatorio” official video here: