The Chronicles of Manimal and Samara Single Review
Title: Track:
The Chronicles of Manimal and Samara exist in a unique space; mixing political spoken word poetry with a background of impassioned, thrashing metal.
As with their previous work, the literary world is the influence for “The Prophet”; the second instalment from the forthcoming LP ‘Trust No Leaders’, due in 2022. Having previously taken inspiration from the likes of Jim Morrison and Virginia Woolf, this time the spark has been lit by Sylvia Plath; in particular her poem “Lady Lazarus”. “The Prophet” tackles the very compelling concern of the growing capability of artificial intelligence. As the band explain, “the song is an ominous reminder that if we are not careful, we might find ourselves with a technology that destroys the civilisation that invented it”.
“Do I terrify?”, demands the vocal, “you will die only once, but I have lived a thousand lives”. London-based collaborators Daphne Ang and Andrea Papi match their poetry to an invigorating backing of thunderous drums, intense riffing and bursts of drama-filled guitars.
“The Prophet” is three minutes of pure theatre, a feature length sci-fi drama boiled down into an epic rock song. In an age where the future seems more uncertain than ever, The Chronicles of Manimal and Samara seem determined to give it a deserving and questioning commentary.
4 Hooks out of 5
Written by Matt Nicholson
The Chronicles of Manimal and Samara Single Review
Title Track: Count the Dead
‘Count the Dead’ is the first sight of The Chronicles of Manimal and Samara second studio album which is due to be released in 2022, it’s important for any band to be able to build a hype for a collection of songs which are due to come at a later date, with ‘Trust no Leaders’ will have a honest and forceful eye on the flawed modern governments we currently have today, some will worry this isn’t for them as it’s such a concerning subject, but trust us the work The Chronicles of Manimal and Samara have done around the state of global warming and the dangers to our planet done to such an artful way that we are sure this will be on the same impressive level as the previous tackling of such a important message.
The single itself is an evolution in itself for the band as fans will notice a slightly heavier tone to their sound and a hint of a structured metal feel, The band get this change in direction spot on as the texture of the track maximises the records disrupt and angry layer crawling all over your skin pricking up the hair on your arms.
As always the main focus is the lyrics, it’s a shot of the real world with a magnifying glass boring down in fine detail of the world we live in and sometimes turn a blind eye to, but with this track you can’t help but be taken by the tide and ask the question of how do I add my voice to this message, the answer is singing the song out loud and then find a group you believe in and demand the change you want to see in your community and world.
3.5 Hooks out of 5
Written By Kess Anthony