| CD REVIEW Manic Movement |
|
|
Band: Manic Movement The history of Flemish formation Manic Movement can be divided in two parts. At the end of last century, this band brought a firm and rhythmic form of melodic Death Metal – three albums were done back then, Discipline (Asterion, 1997), Thousand Sufferings (Suburban, 1999), and Future Dreaming Self (Megalomanious, 2001). After a break, the band returned, yet with two important changes: the musical approach and the vocals. The music became much more symphonic, melodic, rocking, and the vocal duties, as from 2006 on, were taken care of by a female chantresse (current singer: Virginia Fantoni, who’s also the band’s lyricist) instead of using deep death grunts…a much more accessible approach, indeed… First result: Dark Glitter, released through one of Belgium’s most extreme Metal labels, Shiver Records (review posted on March 10th 2009). And honestly, it couldn’t really please me. The fifth full length, called Hot! Hot! Hot!, was recorded by founding member, music writer and drummer Olivier ‘Ollie’ Wittenberg at his newly built Manic Studio (production, engineering, mix and mastering), and lasts for forty six minutes. And soon the enormous progression gets clear. Opening track “Hopeful” indeed sounds hopeful for the rest of the album. In comparison to most tracks on the former full length, the whole sounds more bombastic and orchestral, less predictable and more complex. This goes for several songs on this album. The whole is more varying too, and the song structures were written with an increased professionalism and passion. The album is more experimental than before, going for both instrumental and vocal performance. The latter is one of the highlights on Hot! Hot! Hot!, for Virginia being a splendid singer. And, by the way, she did draw the somewhat Metalocalyptic cartoons too, FYI. Some pieces sounds as a Goth/ Rock Opera excerpt, sometimes it’s more sober or intimate, yet not once without losing itself into poppy or über-catchy nonsense (which, unfortunately, was the case from time to time on “Dark Glitter”). Also electronic and gothic elements are used in a nearly perfect equilibrium. And the total atmosphere is much darker and more oppressing than before, which is another surplus on this fantastic Symfo-Metal album too. Like seems to be tradition, this album too comes with a cover track: Ultravox’ “Vienna”. This song shows the wonderful voice of Virginia again, yet therewith everything is said about this reinterpretation. 80/100 Ivan Tibos. |
