Manimal: Armageddon

Manimal has often been described as a power metal band, and they have sometimes described themselves that way too. I hear that only in spots on their newest release, Armageddon, such as occasionally on the tracks “Evil Soul,� “Insanity,� and “The Inevitable End.� Instead, this is simply an in-your-face heavy metal album that sometimes borders on thrash.

The band hails from Sweden and consists of vocalist Samuel Nyman, Henrik Stenroos on guitars, Kenny Boufadene on bass, and André Holmqvist on drums. The musicianship is quite good. If something might put off listeners it will probably be Nyman’s vocals. To me, he sounds a bit like Tim Baker of Cirith Ungol. I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all, but I know Baker is not everyone’s cup of tea. You won’t hear any of the proggier touches of Cirith Ungol’s King of the Dead on Armageddon, though. It’s also worth noting that Nyman employs guttural, almost death metal growls at the end of “Master of Pain.� That kind of jumped out of nowhere at me and is a bit out of place on this album, but not to the point of distraction.

Armageddon seems designed to get your blood pumping, and it succeeds at that. If there is one shortcoming it’s a certain sameness to many of the tracks. But it’s a good listen and recommended.

A slight digression: I don’t know the source of the band’s name. But I wonder if it comes from the short-lived, somewhat cheesy but overly maligned American television show of the early 1980s, Manimal. If so, hopefully the band will continue to pump out albums for much longer than that series lasted.

Track Listing:
1. Burn in Hell
2. Armageddon
3. Slaves of Babylon
4. Forged in Metal
5. Chains of Fury
6. Evil Soul
7. Path to the Unknown
8. Master of Pain
9. Insanity
10. The Inevitable End

Added: September 11th 2021
Reviewer: Aaron Steelman
Score:
Related Link: Band Website
Hits: 753
Language: english

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