On March 23rd, Swedish metallers, Demonical released their fifth studio album, Chaos Manifesto. This new album marks the band’s first since Darkness Unbound back in 2013. Since then, the band sees a new line-up with the band now led by prominent death growler Alexander Högbom (Former October Tide, Centinex). With the band taking time away from the studio to re-build and re-focus, there would be questions as to whether their new album would be able to hold up to its predecessors. Therefore, not only did Chaos Manifesto automatically come with anticipation amongst fans, it came with a lot of expectation too.
With this album, Demonical sought to silence their doubters and upped their efforts to try and create something on a whole new level within the Swedish Death Metal genre: “Chaos Manifesto features some new elements and streaks the band hasn’t explored before” – comments bassist, Martin Schulman. “We have tapped an award-winning Swedish producer and we are confident that the album – which summons bits and pieces from all our previous releases – will become an improved quality-related chapter for Demonical, and push our Swedish Death Metal Darkness to a new level”.
Chaos Manifesto opens with the track A Void Most Obscure, a song that instantly justifies the chosen title for the album. The time between albums doesn’t seem to have effected Demonical in the slightest. With previous albums having the tendency to use the opening track as an introduction, A Void Most Obscure smashes that tradition and launches us straight into chaos without hesitating. After such a heavy opener, Towards Greater Gods doesn’t allow you to catch your breath either, instead, it forces you to keep up whether you want to or not. It must be said, after hearing the first few tracks on the album, that this band does not lack in talent. Instead, they appear to have the perfect chemistry with no riff or drum pattern seeming out of place. Välkommen Undergång sees Demonical’s first ever track in Swedish, and despite it falling directly in the middle of the album, it certainly doesn’t feel out of place. That’s very much the story with Chaos Manifesto, as the album goes on, there isn’t a song that feels out of place or lacking compared to the rest. Even the final track, Death Unfaithful somehow manages to feel appropriate as the closing track whilst maintaining the pace of everything that came before it. The rallying drums build this song to an extent that cries “One last time” and the guitar harmonies together create a sense that this album ends the way it starts. Truly impressive stuff.
Chaos Manifesto truly hits hard. It’s an album that will be argued as one of the band’s greatest and hopefully, provides them with more exposure. Demonical are back and sounding better than ever.
A triumphant return. Demonical prove they are a force to be reckoned with in the extreme metal scene.
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