{mosimage}Manifest is Impaled Nazarene’s tenth studio album, and I really don’t know what to make of it. I have liked some of the earlier ones, while some others left me unimpressed, if I happened to check them out at all. Anyway, before hearing Manifest I was kind of sure I would never need another new Impaled Nazarene album again.
In this light, listening to Manifest feels surprisingly sensible. Impaled Nazarene’s take-no-prisoners black metal assault had a limited appeal to begin with, but it sounds like they are really making effort to bring some variation to the picture. Especially the start of the album is strong: The Antichrist Files is a full-on Impaled Nazarene onslaught at it’s best, whereas Mushroom Truth brings to the table some melodic elements and even a symphonic middle section. Later on, songs like Funeral for Despicable Pigs and the album closer Dead Return prove, that the band can sound good even when they slow down a bit.
The lyrics have always been the weakest link of Impaled Nazarene, even if nobody takes them seriously. They may be black humour, but not very good black humour; they may be intentionally politically incorrect, but even so, they should have a rational point behind them. That the lyrics have no poetic value whatsoever is certainly besides the point – remember, the music isn’t that subtle either – but if you have an opinion, you also should have rational reasoning to back it up.
Well, it’s kind of hard to hear what Mikaakim is screaming about anyway. Impaled Nazarene may be the AC/DC of black metal, and I am not really waiting impatiently for their next album, but Manifest is quite enjoyable in its own right.
Rating 3/5