I have something of a strange relationship with the Swedish pop metal six-piece Amaranthe. Their first two albums, 2011's Amaranthe and 2013's The Nexus, were both heavily played in my house during their release years and, while neither were ever quite Album of the Year material, they remain favourites. I think that those albums, and particularly the debut, came out during a time of musical expansion for me. I had had my fill of classic rock, progressive rock, and metalcore and I was branching out. Power and symphonic metal were the flavours of the months (or years) for me around the late 2000s; but I was also starting to develop a real love for 1980s AOR and melodic death metal. In many ways; with its sugary choruses, harsh vocals, and shimmering synths; Amaranthe was a real hybrid of everything that I was loving at the time. The AOR was present in the stadium-sized choruses; while the sharp riffing reminded me of the Gothenburg scene that I was slowly beginning to appreciate. Amaranthe was one of those 'time and place' albums, and it remains a favourite for that reason. Two years later, and The Nexus was just another hit of the same drug. The Nexus is extremely similar to the debut, but the quality of the songwriting was still high. Ever since The Nexus' release however, Amaranthe have, in my opinion, failed to reach those heights again. 2014's Massive Addictive (which I reviewed here) was decent but by this time the law of diminishing returns was starting to kick in. Amaranthe are a band that, throughout their career, have stuck rigidly to a core sound. Some bands can successfully pull this off, but most cannot. Innovation is what helps a band to remain fresh, but from Massive Addictive onwards the band faltered. I did not even properly cover 2016's Maximalism on this blog because it never really hit home (I wrote about it here, and even spoke positively about it, but time has not been kind to it), and while 2018's Helix (which I did cover properly here) was something of an improvement it still lacked spark. In reality I probably should have jumped off the Amaranthe train some time ago, but I am glad that I did not as the band's latest album, Manifest, is a big improvement over the last few. While I still do not think that it reaches the heights of the first two albums, Manifest is easily the best thing the band have done since The Helix. The choruses here are some of the strongest and catchiest for some time, but the key improvement here in my mind is the variety. While Amaranthe's core sound is still fully intact here, it feels like the most diverse album that the band have done to date. There are a few twists and turns here to help it stand out from the pack, and it feels like the band's current line-up have finally gelled together here on what is their second studio outing together - with Nils Molin particularly impressing vocally. This album has also seen the band moving over to Nuclear Blast records, being managed by Angela Gossow (Asmodina; Arch Enemy), and it also features a few choice guest performances - all of which really work in the band's favour.
Despite the aforementioned variety, the band's core sound also sounds fresher here than it has done for a few years. The album's opening number, Fearless, is probably their best kick-off track since Afterlife back in 2013. From the off, the song really gives the listener a kick up the backside - with Olof Mörck's tight Gothenberg-esque riffs driving the track forward. Everything just seems a bit better this time around, from Mörck's razor sharp guitar tone to the soaring chorus hooks. The vocals also seem to be a bit more evenly distributed this time around too. Elize Ryd has long been the star of the show, but both Molin and harsh vocalist Henrik Englund enjoy plenty of time in the spotlight. All three team up throughout Fearless, giving the fans the band's trademark triple vocal attack right from the off. Englund's role is often to provide growled 'responses' to Ryd and Molin's 'calls' - and that old-school 'beauty and the beast' trope is on full display here. Despite the song's main riff, the verses are actually somewhat stripped back, allowing Johan Andreassen's bass and the synths to form a pulsing, shimmering backing - before everything explodes into a stadium and Top 40-worthy chorus. While the last handful of Amaranthe albums contained strong hooks, the chorus of Fearless really sounds like a jump back to the band's early days. It is just pure pop metal bliss, with Ryd and Molin's voices combining perfectly to deliver the melodies. While not quite as strong, Make it Better is still very enjoyable. The pace is slowed down considerably here, with Mörck opting for a doomy, groove-based riff this time around which allows the band to play around with melody a little. The sparser verse approach is repeated here, with similar dancing synths and Morten Løwe Sørensen subtle marching drum beat backing up the sombre vocal melodies from Ryd and Molin. Amaranthe have done songs like this before, but the slower pace and the heavier riffing feels much more vital this time around. While I prefer the band's core, upbeat songs - it is songs like Make it Better that help Manifest feel like a much more rounded album. The chorus is still classic Amaranthe, just a little slower, but the song overall has much more weight than usual - with Englund unleashing some impressive Randy Blythe-esque roars towards the end as Mörck closes things out with a shredded solo. Scream My Name is similar to Fearless, but goes for the more synth-heavy and overtly modern pop sounds of the band's more recent albums. Part of my lesser opinions of the recent albums is that I think the balance shifted a little too far in the Top 40-esque direction. I prefer the band tackling pop in more of a power metal context, which has been lacking somewhat for me of late. That being said however, Scream My Name is a huge improvement over many of their other recent efforts. The balance is a little better this time, and the chorus is one of the album's most instantly-memorable moments. Englund's semi-rapped harsh vocals actually work well in the context of the song too, with his machine gun vocal patterns acting as the perfect contrast to Ryd's sultry delivery. While this track feels very similar to the sound forged on Maximalism and Helix, the overall delivery of the style works much better this time around.
Lead single Viral sounds like a long-lost cousin of Drop Dead Cynical from Massive Addictive. The heavy mid-paced track has a great groove that is established throughout by Mörck's snaking guitar work and Sørensen's surprisingly busy drumming. The band have certainly written better songs, but the melodies here, particularly during the chorus, are just so infectious. The stomping Drop Dead Cynical-esque groove really elevates the song to the next level however, with the pulsing rhythms mixing perfectly with the heavy riffing and the soaring vocal hooks to make the track an easy-listening piece of pop metal - and it is a track that is certain to go down well live. Adrenaline really harks back to the sound of the first two albums, with an opening synth riff that bursts out of the speakers with dancing industrial beats and sugary melodies. Synth riffs have always been a big part of the band's sound, but the one employed here has a great old-school sound that instantly grabs hold and never lets go. I think that it is on songs like this where Amaranthe sound the best. The contrast between the heavy riffing and the poppy synths is what makes the band shine; and this track has the best of both worlds. As part of their focus on more Top 40-esque pop sounds of late, the band's heaviness also felt toned down somewhat. The riffing and weight is back on Manifest in a big way however, and Adrenaline is a strong, crunching mid-paced track with some real meat on the bones - as well as some delicious synths. Strong is quite a different sounding song for the band, and it features a duet between Ryd and Noora Louhimo (Battle Beast) - who is probably one of the best female vocalists in metal at the moment. This is a song that actually left me quite cold on first listen, but it has grown on me quite a lot over my repeated listens to the album. It is definitely less heavy than many of the songs here, with a strong poppy AOR vibe featured throughout. Keyboards twinkle and intertwine with Mörck's slightly muted guitar playing, but the stars here are Ryd and Louhimo. While I do not think that Louhimo's power was fully harnessed here, her voice is different enough from Ryd's to provide an interesting dynmaic - with the poppy melodies proving good fodder for the pair. The Game is another great old-school sounding tune, with Molin really shining vocally. In truth, all three vocalists constantly shine throughout the album - but Molin really stands out here. His voice is always the highest in the mix, and his dramatic vocal delivery really suits the power metal-esque chorus. Some of the album's biggest hooks can be found here; as well as one of the best harsh vocal breaks and one of the best guitar solos. As a result, it is one of the real highlights of the album for me - and it reminds me why I fell in love with Amaranthe back in 2011. Crystalline is the album's obligatory ballad, but some extra help has been brought in in the form of pianist Elias Holmlid (Dragonland) and cellist Perttu Päivö Kullervo Kivilaakso (Apocalyptica). As a result of the additional musicians, Crystalline is probably the band's most-realised ballad yet. While I prefer some of their older efforts, there is still a lot to enjoy and the sound created thanks to the guests is huge. The soaring Disney-esque chorus is a real 'fists in the air' moment, with Ryd and Molin both showcasing their softer sides well.
Another single in the form of Archangel gets the album back on a heavier track, and it is probably the heaviest track yet that the band have filmed a video for. There is a creepy vibe injected here with the choice of synths used, and Mörck's riffing throughout is relentless and pretty abrasive. Englund gets a lot more screen time here, with a prominent verse presence; while Molin showcases some of his day job with Dynazty with a few high-pitched power metal-esque screams. Pseudo-operatic wordless vocals from Ryd and some rolling horror piano melodies contribute to the spooky and Halloween feel of the song - but the hooky, poppy chorus should remind any listeners who need it that this is indeed an Amaranthe song. Unfortunately however, despite a string of great tracks up to this point, the album does take a dip in quality with the questionable BOOM!. Englund injected his tongue-in-cheek sense of humour on the previous album with GG6, but BOOM! sounds more like Attila than Amaranthe - and that is certainly not a good thing. The weird djent/rap/metalcore mash-up is a confusing and messy track that is probably not meant to be taken too seriously, which is clear from Heidi Shepherd's (Butcher Babies) spoken word sections, but it sounds so out of place on the album. 'The breakdown goes boom!' section of the song might be the single worst moment on an Amaranthe album to date, and even a decent chorus cannot really salvage it. The rapping worked during Scream My Name, but here it sounds really dated - and this is the sort of song that Amaranthe should really avoid in future. Die and Wake Up is better, and it is one of the most constantly heavy tracks here. Mörck's riffing throughout the song is angular and sharp, while Englund takes centre stage for some of the most furious growls on the album. Songs like this prove that he does not need to write awful deathcore mash-ups to shine in the band, and he dominates here with some throat-ripping harsh vocals. In many ways however, the song is just classic Amaranthe with pop hooks meshing well with heaviness and riffing. There are better songs here, but the melodies still take hold and it is another very enjoyable track on what is overall a strong album. It is left to Do or Die to bring the album to a close, which is an alternative version to the original single version that was released back in February. That version was a duet between Ryd and Gossow, but this version focuses on Molin and Englund - with Ryd providing subtle harmonies. It is strange that her presence on the album's closing number is quite muted, but the song is a strong number and it is nice to hear the band's two male vocalists duetting so well throughout. Fittingly, the chorus is another soaring moment - which allows the album to end on a real high. Something the album version of the track has in common with the single version however is the inclusion of a ripping guitar solo from Jeff Loomis (Sanctuary; Nevermore; Conquering Dystopia; Arch Enemy) - which could be the album's most metal moment of all. Taking all of the above into account, and despite one fairly major blip, Manifest is a great album. I was not expecting to enjoy it as much as I did, and for me it is easily their best release since The Nexus. The focus seems to be back on creating strong riffs and pairing them with stronger choruses, and that is the sort of Amaranthe that I enjoy the most.
The album was released on 2nd October 2020 via Nuclear Blast Records. Below is the band's promotional video for Fearless.
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