I knew absolutely nothing about this band when I agreed to review them, just that I thought that artwork was cool and interesting so why not? From the wooded realms of Northern Maine, Manic Abraxas comprise drummer Tom Bennett, bassist/vocalist/synth player Justin Hamm, and guitarist/vocalist/synth player Dallas Seger and theyr formed the band back in 2012. This is their fourth album, and demonstrates their love of the darker sides of and metal as they take inspiration from the likes of Celtic Frost, early High On Fire, and Unearthly Trance. This is raw underground metal which brings together the likes of doom and black metal with stoner and punk which is all then thrown together with a solid dose of NWOBHM.
It is raw, unadulterated, and will be appreciated by those who prefer their music to be crusty and in your face with aggression and attitude at least as important as melody and performance. I can imagine their gigs are sweaty and insane with numerous walls of death and pits, and in that environment their music will be quite good fun, but whether one wants to sit and listen to this 8-track 37-minute-long album is something else altogether. For me there is too much punk attitude and bite, and not enough in terms of songs and melody for em to stay consistently interested but undoubtedly there is a market out there and if this is your thing then it is available on Bandcamp.
Rating: 5/10
