Manic Depression - Impending Collapse

Russia's Manic Depression has been around for some time, spearheading the Russian Thrash scene since the early 90s. While their music draws on influences from Slayer to Accept to Kreator, the heavy, aggressive tone of their music mixed with doses of melody allows them to maintain a distance from these influences and be refrained from being considered 'copycats.' However, fans might have been wondering what the band has been up to for last few years. 'Impending Collapse' is the longest gap of time to be released before the band's last album 'Planned Spiritual Decay' (not including the reissue of their debut 'Who Deals The Pain' in 2006). For those not familiar with Manic Depression's style, they don't really do much to re-invent the wheel on Thrash Metal. Everything is pretty standard here with the focus of chugging guitar rhythms, barking vocals that maintain a steady, catchy chorus, and of course the blistering solo that escrivates everything in its path such as on the track "Evil In Disguise." Manic Depression do inject a bit more Heavy Metal influence than the average Thrash band, such as toning things down for a slower, yet enjoyable "Lost In Time," which features a bit more repetitiveness  than the other tracks (usually they are played at such a high speed nobody will notice), but here the vocals, guitars, and drums aim for a bit more melody, and the thick, fist pumping rhythms are certainly welcome in any crowd at a concert. The same can be said for "Phobia" where again the band aims for more of a anthem-like Rock effort with slower pace, and even a bit of rough singing on the vocalist's part as opposed to his usual rapid fire bark.

Aside from these two moments though, most of the other tracks can tend to be lumped together as hard hitting Thrash without too much to separate themselves from each other. Like a band that performs all Brutal Death Metal, those who are not diehard Thrash fans may burn out on 'Impending Collapse,' which is an oddly cryptic title in itself, possibly hinting at possible future decay if the band ever truly does start to just toss out repeat material? It certainly lives up to typical Manic Depression standards; those who loved the last album are probably going to love this one. However, as far as inviting new fans, there may be a bit of a hangup due to lack of innovation. There are so many different Thrash bands out there that all sound the same that listeners are looking for something new to grab them, and Manic Depression doesn't exactly have all that much of a unique hook. If one likes churning guitars with a Heavy Metal structure but a clean, modern sound that isn't too distorted, then this will certainly be for them.

  1. Nightmarereality
  2. Afterlife
  3. Evil In Disguise
  4. Lost In Time
  5. Global Collapse
  6. Atlantis Fate
  7. Legacy Of The Past
  8. Buried Alive
  9. Phobia
  10. Mutual Hate