MANIFEST disperse a lot of energy, they sound aggressively and do not forget about melodies totally. Besides, some borne parts have the chance to breathe.

The vocals by Stian Leknes oscillate between intense screeching and dark growling. Mr. Leknes tries to perform melodic vocal lines additionally and solves his challenge really adeptly.
In classic four-piece line-up, guitarist Ole comes up with some killer riffs relying on a competent rhythm fundament.
I like the music of MANIFEST best, when sluggish parts take on the lead and the sentiment gets dark and bleak. It is no matter that the drums sound a little bit modern or experimentally and the guitars deliver some effects like in the track Unrelenting. Just because of these uncommon interplays, MANIFEST stick out of the mass a little bit. Unfortunately the band cannot manage to hit the bull’s eye, because the compositions are not catchy enough and I miss some impelling hooks or refrains.
Hedonism offers a lot of fast-as-an-arrow material, for example the tune Machinery Of Violence rushes in without hitting the brake. The quite traditional song’s frame is broadened by playful guitar solos reminding of Pantera in my opinion.
Afterwards the Norwegians offer a short breather during the opening chords of Swine in form of an acoustic intro, but stomping steel takes on the lead after a few seconds. In this case, the band builds up a threatening and interesting atmosphere.
The tune Hydroplaning shows up in hectic style concerning instrumental structure and vocals. My pulse gets faster and the group unleashes its intensity totally.

In all, Hedonism presents one-dimensional music partly, catchy tunes are rare and MANIFEST set their focus on pure aggression and speed for most of the time. This might be the reason that only fans that do not need many melodies are happy with this release. In addition, some hectic and modernism must be taken.