Metal Reviews

Didnt see this coming at all, I had a sample of the promo and fuck its not bad at all. The track The Black Circus is a over the top. Over all a well balanced album





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01 - Enter the Carnival
02 - The Black Circus
03 - Intueric I
04 - Enchanted Mind
05 - Intuneric II - Forever Carousel
06 - Freakshow
07 - Gypsies Dance, Part 1
08 - Intuneric III
09 - Wisdom
10 - Intuneric IV - Disciples of the Entities

Their last two albums started sounding undistinictive IMO - which is not a good thing. After hearing the samples of their new album - I swear the vocalist is reusing vocal melodies from their other albums.

I think I might pass on this one...

Hyperion? Eight Deadly Sins? Undistinctive? They're two of the best and most original metal albums to be released in the past decade. I had no idea Manticora were releasing something new; I can't wait to hear this.

I'm not saying their not distinctive for metal - you can clearly tell Manticora from other bands.

However, their last album sounded too much like the one before it (including the vocal melodies), and thus they started seeming stale

The Black Circus remains classic Manticora, though with a fuller sound and more distinctive keyboards, contributing to greater melody. I like this album and will listen to it regularly.

This is a damn good band.

Yes indeed.

This album is a must buy for me.

Part II has leaked, and I am downloading. Can't wait to hear it.

Yes I have downloaded part 2 last week - Again nice efforts by the Lads

01-entrance
02-beauty_will_fade
03-gypsies_dance_pt._2
04-intuneric_v
05-haita_di_lupi
06-when_the_soulreapers_cry
07-intuneric_vi
08-all_that_remain
09-intuneric_vii
10-of_madness_in_its_purity

Damn it, the torrent doesn't seem to be working. Where did you get it from, flying? And how does it compare to Part I?

I've given this two listens, but holy shit, there are so many things going on in this album that its impossible to focus or even give an opinion beyond that its definitely good. Very chaotic songwriting, which reflects the storyline very well... And riffs! There are enough riffs for 3 albums on this thing! I'll post my full opinion after a few more listens.

Okay, so now that I've had more time to digest it, this album is about completely fucking awesome in every way. Some of the stuff is very different from anything they've done before (the sense of creepy happiness that pervades Beauty Will Fade) but its completely excellent. All the interludes rule this time, two of the choruses are their best ever (Gypsies Dance Part II and When the Soul Reapers Cry), soloing is as fantastic as ever... only two complaints are that the melodic leads aren't as prevalent or well written as in Part I (which had some really fantastic ones, such as at the end of The Black Circus and in the middle of Disciples of the Entity) and that I don't like the chorus of Madness in its Purity too much. This ones in the nineties for sure, though.

Alright, looking into this bad boy now.

So what'd you think Billy?

I skipped through pretty quick on the first listen. I was on my way to work, so I haven't really given it a chance yet. I've been way to focused on the new Symphony X. But, from what I heard it sounded pretty awesome and heavy as hell.

This is another competitor for a top five spot. Awesome heavy riffing, but they are still technical enough to keep your interest. I have to say this is better than part one. These guys are really becoming a great band.

I agree that this is even better than part one, already an excellent album, but disagree on your second point- these guys already are a great band, and I'd say have been since Hyperion. Glad you liked it, no we gotta spread the word so that they sell enough albums for a North American tour.

I haven't heard everything by them to be honest. I think I have heard bits and pieces of Hyperion and now these two. I'll have to explore some of their earlier stuff.

I don't think the album is bad, but it is almost a copy of part 1.
They did not suddenly forgot how to make a good power metal album but the riffs, the lyrics, the themes, it resembles to much to part 1. Plus it is not that long. They would have better just put part 1 and 2 in one package. That would make it's money worth.
But if you like the first you still will like this one.

I completely disagree with this- part one and two are pretty distinct in my mind, even if some of the songs share similar styles (after all, they are a band and every album can't be completely different) and Manticora tried some very new stuff on this. Look at that almost perversion of European power metal on Enchanted Mind- parts of that song sound like an evil version of Stratovarius, and are a first for Manticora. Or how about Gypsies Dance Part II, probably the slowest song they've ever done and mixing in a shitload of folkish and Arabian influences that are absent from Part I? When the Soulreapers Cry has some similarities to Wisdom, namely an acoustic opening to the verse and a really powerful chorus, but one is melodic and quite beautiful (Wisdom) and the other is eclectic with less thrashy riffs and kind of all over the place, in a good way. All That Remains does indeed sound like something off 8 Deadly Sins though, but its done so well that I don't really care. So, I'm not sure why you say that the two sound identical. In terms of lyrics- I'd say they're quite different on the two. The whole of part I is composed in letters, and aside from Disciples of the Entity, is focused on description of the circus and its inhabitants. Here, the plot starts up and the shit hits the fan, not to mention that the lyrics are written traditionally.

As for it being too short.. It is only 38 minutes, with five full songs, one instrumental and a few interludes (part I is 46). I agree that they maybe could have cut out an interlude or two and put it all into one album. But I won't complain; the 38 minutes are amazing and unlike on many other shorter albums, the songs are fully developed. I'll take an amazing 38 minuter like this over and overlong good album that has some filler (ala Keepers Part 3)