Man Alive - Man Alive
Record Label: Doghouse Records
Release Date: June 25, 2008
Based in Israel, Man Alive's songs show great horsepower and bruising punctures, which their present self-titled release preens of from top to bottom. The guitar burns of Daveed Shkedi are fierce and the fire-ball pistons of bassist Jon Shkedi and drummer Yair Baun are thunderous, but it’s the lead vocals of Jamie Halsden that keep the tracks chomping and baring some hard-fisted knuckles that give Man Alive's songs a sense of purpose and meaning.
The guitar surges are blistering showing an armed forces style charge in tracks like “If You Breath, You Bleed” and “In Spite Of All,” and screamo vocals with hardcore punk treads relatable to Anti-Flag in “The Things Left Worth Dying For.” The layers of acoustic guitar opening “Stick Around” are hit with a barrage of power rock pellets that magnify the metal-rock tunage of the track, while the occasional pick slides in “Morningside” and “Myth vs. Fact” produce smooth careens producing feverish rotations. Guitar riffs are inflamed and rain down with a ravenous appetite in songs like “Proud To Be Un-American” and “Until Somebody Scream,” but then put in their claws and turn to a folksy tempered rock modulation in “Laugh or Cry” reducing the burns to a gentle frequency liken to The Audition.
Formed in 1999, Man Alive have put out several EP’s and full-length discs. They have opened for a number of bands including the Get Up Kids, and have toured Japan, Europe and North America slowly breaking out from behind the scenes. Believing that their self-titled album is their best disc to date, Man Alive are lunging forward full-force with distribution deals from North America to their homeland, and betting everything on the Rambo-like biceps of their self-titled release.
Man Alive put all their might in the metal-tinged throttles, but when they hold back some of that temper like in “Laugh or Cry,” they show a bit more of themselves without so much camouflage. Their self-titled release has Rambo-like biceps and armed forces might punctured by elements of punk and nu metal. Their sonic eruptions are thunderous, but their softer melodic swags are nice too.
You compare good bands to shitty bands all the time. Agree with the two users above me.
The bands recommended in this review are not fair to Man Alive's sound, IMO, and including the words "nu metal" will turn off a vast majority of potential listeners quicker than you can say Disturbed.
The bands recommended in this review are not fair to Man Alive's sound, IMO, and including the words "nu metal" will turn off a vast majority of potential listeners quicker than you can say Disturbed.
The bands recommended in this review are not fair to Man Alive's sound, IMO, and including the words "nu metal" will turn off a vast majority of potential listeners quicker than you can say Disturbed.
Everything I've heard from this band is great.
This review made me dizzy.
...have you read any of Susan's other reviews? The same can be said for pretty much all the ones I've read.
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