The six-piece Swedish metal band comprised of as many vocalists as musicians returns with its sixth full-length album, and it bursts with the kind of feel-good, fist-pumping anthems we need to make it through the rest of 2020. Manifest is powered by the songwriting, guitars and keyboards of Olof Mörck and the robust vocals of Elize Ryd, who is accompanied by the clean singing of Nils Molin and the brutal voice of Henrik “GG6” Englund Wilhelmsson. This is a colorful, high-energy record that not only serves as a testament to Scandinavia’s thriving metal scene but also proves there’s still room to expand the genre. The songs are short (12 of them in 40 minutes, and all but one clocking in at under four minutes), and musically they veer into Eighties hair metal and Noughties pop. Lyrically, Amaranthe leans in more serious directions, with “Do Or Die” addressing climate disaster and “Archangel” chronicling the fall of Lucifer. Other tracks, such as “Fearless,” “Make It Better,” “Adrenaline” and “Strong,” will leave you convinced that everything will be alright.
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