It seems hard to believe that it’s still not even 10 years since Amaranthe launched that debut album which laid the path for their own unique blend of genre-melding Metal with triple vocal assault. Such has been their impact on the Metal scene, spawning many a semi-clone over recent years it feels as if they’ve been around so much longer. Their secret across their 6 album catalogue so far is to basically remain intrinsically the same, but just shift things a little with each release, honing their style and nudging it further every time. The most notable change was maybe the introduction of Dynazty vocalist Nils Molin on 2018’s “Helix”, which some feared may lead the band down a more Melodic or even Power Metal direction. It didn’t. And on the evidence here, it most certainly still hasn’t!
Amaranthe are a little bit irritated about the world as it is at the moment. OK, they’re furious and thoroughly pissed off – Angryanthe if you like, and it spews forth from every pore of “Manifest”. The unfeasibly catchy choruses are still there, driven by pounding beats and heavy-as-you-like open chord riffage. The well-placed time changes and samples are still plenty in evidence, but this is certainly Amaranthe at their heaviest. If the previous album was a touch favourable in overall vocal ratio to new recruit Molin, the balance has been firmly tilted back towards the harsh vocals of Henrik Englud Wilhelmsson this time around, who seems to take the opportunity to spit rage-fuelled venom at the merest hint of an invitation. Elize Ryd’s vocal performance is exemplary as usual, it kind of goes without saying really, and given the guest slots she’s been involved with in the last few years, many others would obviously agree.
Amaranthe have never relied on the much utilized elsewhere twin vocal approach of ‘he sings the verse, she carries the chorus’ approach and here again they mix things up, but needless to say Ryd delivers perfectly all the vocal lines that will get wedged in your memory for days to come. At one point there’s a poignant ballad which makes it feel like as a listener like you’ve been holding your breath a little and you can finally exhale. But don’t get too comfortable as just around the corner is more dummy-chucking, tantrum-throwing fury and angst that seems to mash even more genres as it pummels it’s way to a seething conclusion, rounding things off with the single ‘Do Or Die’, possibly the most instantly accessible song on the album – now right there is a band confident in their own skin! Amaranthe still have multi-appeal, blending Modern Metal with Symphonic Metal with Electro with Death Metal and whatever the hell else they choose to throw in for good measure. Anyone who was worried that Amaranthe were ready to take their foot off the gas and take the easy route are going to be proved well off the mark by “Manifest”.
(8/10 Andy Barker)
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