ALBUM REVIEW: Maniaxe – Canticles Of Corruption

Here we have the review for the new Maniaxe album, released via Hellfire Records!

1. Intro opens the album with some ambience and lovely acoustic guitar playing that is really peaceful, over the top you can hear some heavily distorted vocals which are really sinister. A cool introduction for sure.
2. Maggots Of God brings in the Thrash Metal assault, it is melodic and really in your face with tons of speed. The riffs are really upbeat and the drums keep the pace with them, the bass is clearly audible which is really important in Thrash for me. The vocals have a blackened touch to them and sound really brutal, excellent work there. This is definitely more esoteric Thrash Metal than your run of the mill stuff, I really like how this band sound based off this song. Great way to bring themselves in.
3. Heavy Metal Onslaught is certainly a title that requires living up to. The drums hammer the song into momentum, with catchy riffs faded in and a really nasty distorted tone used that sound heavy as hell. The more classic riffs are really awesome, but still with the more harsh vocals which are excellent, something more like Kreator to the sound of this track. The song has some more punky choruses and a really cool vibe to it. The solo is a bit too quiet, but from what I can hear it sounds really great, very melodic too. Certainly living up the title.
4. Black Death Saviour brings in yet more ferocious speeds and a more menacing sound than before, this is pretty extreme sounding for Thrash Metal which is really enjoyable to me, with elements of Black and Death as the title would suggest, but not wandering too far into either genre to make the music confusing, really awesome work on this. The song is catchy and filled with a primal aggression and some damn cool bass guitar work and heavy riffs with a blistering little solo.
5. Apocalyptic Vision once more kicks straight in, there is a really mosh pit fuel vibe coming from this song with its marching pace and killer 80s style riffs. The band really put some attack behind this song and that pays off nicely, with a really atmospheric and unique sound this song brings in yet another piece of the album that really works as a whole but staying varied so far. Definitely more old school in parts which just sound fantastic. The solo is far better than the others in my opinion on this track with both simplicity and speed giving it a classic approach.
6. Six Shots Of Vengeance opens with a short sample, that sounds wicked. The song kicks in with perfect timing and a real punch behind it. The riffs are absolutely brilliant on this one, some of the best so far. The mix is rawer than some Thrash but still pretty damn good. The song has a barrage of fuel throttle attack from the band. This song is more extreme than the last, and the contrast works really nicely. Once more some really epic bass work too, this time slightly resembling Steve DiGiogio. It is still pretty catchy with the choruses and riffs, and all the time the drums really pummel along nicely.
7. Impaler slows the pace to begin with, sounding really haunting and demonic with the growls used. The song climaxes with some really groovy riffs and awesome tone on the bass and guitar, the drums are perfectly fitted to the other instruments and the gruesome vocals perfectly top it all off. This song has a more generically appealing approach to Thrash Metal with plenty of speed, melody and primitive violence to the sound. The mid section breaks really nicely, a certainly epic song to have a pit too. Awesome work.
8. God Save The Antichrist opens sounding like a Black Metal song, but soon the Thrashy riffs once more start up, this song has a very fast tempo and really awesome skill from all members of the band. The more upbeat and atmospheric vibe reminds me of Havok in a few parts, especially with the harsher vocals used. Really great stuff with a mix of sounds, giving it a very unique sound. There is tons of more blackened parts which have a slight resemblance to Carpathian Forest, which really work very well.
9. Hypnosis comes straight in with more gorgeous 80s sounding Thrash riffs. Epic stuff from the very beginning with the bass rumbling under the guitar very nicely and together giving a really good sound with chaotic drumming used. The song is both the lightest in some parts, and the heaviest in others with a psychopathically fast attack and almost shrieked vocals. The guitar solo is really beautiful, so much more melodic than others so far. Finally the ending riffs have a really nice technical feel to them which I really enjoyed. Amazing track!
10. Hail Goatlord is the final track of the album, and brings in more epic and old school vibes. The song is absolute chaotic madness and a really interesting and different way to finish an album off. There are yet more blackened parts and some really nice lead guitars. The song draws to a close with a real grace and atmosphere that sounds gorgeous, finishing with some more chaotic jamming. Excellent work once more.

This album has a really wide variety of sounds, a unique style and great songwriting. It all comes together very nicely and certainly is worth checking out for the Thrashers here, especially those who like it more on the extreme side! -7.5/10