IMPALED NAZARENE
Manifest
(Osmose Productions)
50:28min

From the bands I remember that started with Osmose, this is quite the only one that has been loyal to the label… or maybe vice versa… and I think they were one of their best selling bands if not the best at one point. Well, long gone are the times of the great demo, as since the debut album I totally lost interest in the band… don’t ask me why, but I just find all the other releases to be the same. I never considered them a Black Metal band, but a punkish Black / Thrash band. And although I might have heard all of their albums at one point, none of them was interesting at first listen to take a deeper chance at them. I might even saw them live once I think, blame the alcohol for not really remembering, but again, I guess it was not that good or something. Then, I heard their album “Absence Of War…” and find it quite entertaining if maybe a bit melodic. I skipped the next albums and now I have this new one. Well, the formula one way or the other sounds to me more like back to the basics. No, it does not sound like their demo, but it does possess some similar “aura” to say it in a way. They have become more like a Speed / Thrash Metal band with many traditional Heavy Metal touches, and only the vocals could be related to Black / Death Metal realms. It gots a really heavy production, with a thick guitar sound, ad has memorable riffs and songs like in ‘Blueprint For Your Culture’s Apocalypse’. If I have to compare them to any band for someone that has never heard of them I would say that early SLAYER with some early BATHORY touches and dirty thrash like CARNIVORE… it is also quite clever that the melody I did find on earlier albums is reduced a bit here, although they keep a very direct approach, not technical not too simple. Oh, and they usually keep the tempo fast, which is OK for me. Only at the end, the vocals tends to sound the same. I was probably expecting less from this album, so give it a chance, more than one will be pleased. Now to the band, juts get the real logo back on the cover art…

Julián Núñez

Julián Núñez

Related reviews / interviews:
IMPALED NAZARENE - All That You Fear (Edouard Vergriete)
IMPALED NAZARENE - Absence Of War Does Not Mean Peace (Ramon Claassen)
IMPALED NAZARENE - Pro Patria Finlandia (Edouard Vergriete )
IMPALED NAZARENE - Death Comes In 26 Selected Pieces (Edouard Vergriete )
IMPALED NAZARENE - Decade Of Decadence (Frank Stöver)

Leave a Reply