French Death Metal spearheads Loudblast are back.
Created in 1985 and led since then by Stéphane Buriez (guitar/vocals, Sinsaenum, Le Bal des Enragés), he is joined by Hervé Coquerel (drums, Black Bomb A, Undead Prophecies) in 1992. Many musicians will be part of the line-up along years, but it is with Jérôme Point-Canovas (guitar, Undead Prophecies, ex-No Return) and Frédéric Leclercq (bass, Kreator, Sinsaenum, Amahiru, ex-Dragonforce) that Manifesto, the band’s eighth album, is released.
Released six years after the previous one, it is the proof that the hiatus that happened at the end of the nineties doesn’t touch the band’s motivation. About the artwork, we thank Eliran Kantor (Aeternam, Archspire, Bloodbath, Cult of Lilith, Ex Deo, Gaerea, Gutslit, Incantation, My Dying Bride, Testament, Sigh…), and if the sound is this violent, it is because they worked with HK Krauss from Vamacara Studio (AcoD, Exocrine, Khaos-Dei, Mercyless, Witches, Savage Annihilation, The Order of Apollyon…) and Kevin Foley on drums (Hjelvik, ex-Abbath, ex-Benighted, ex-Disavowed, ex-Mumakil…).
Revealed to our ears with the unholy The Promethean Fire, the album was set to be heavy, but also very dark and made of a mixing between Old School Death Metal, diverse influences and pure violence. As usual, the french musicians do not hesitate to ass some piercing solos, like on Todestrieb, the first song, but also to recreate a weighing ambience, like Erasing Reality or on Preaching Spiritual Infirmity and its terrifying break. Early fans will find some parts picking into Thrash/Death as well as Old School tones thanks to Festering Pyre, that also offers an enchanting break, before going back to heaviness and oppression with Into the Greatest of Unknowns. Tempo will slightly slow down for Solace in Hell and Infamy Be To You, the two lasts songs, but it doesn’t prevent the sound to be still weighing and full of sharp harmonics until the last note.
Loudblast’s legend wears its name with pride, as Manifesto proves it. A dark, violent and very well build album from beginning to end, here is what we can expect from a french Death Metal heavyweight!
90/100