Alright, MANIC ABRAXAS, here you are again, in my face and earholes, right around two years from the time I sang your praises for Foreign Winds. What, you think I’ve got all the time in the world here? And who’s this bastard child of Eddie, Vic Rattlehead and Korgull from Dimension Hatröss lookin’ like we ‘bout to have a problem staring out at me from the cover of Skinformation?

I see you finally got around to calling a song ‘Manic Abraxas’. About time, but we’ll argue about how it should’ve gone on the self-titled debut to complete the Band/Album/Song trifecta later. Or not. Either way, hard to piss and moan when the chaotic, yes, VOIVOD-ian lead-in gives way to a tumblin’ rumble worthy if Remission-era MASTODON in said opener. Oh, and Dallas (Seger), nice to hear you playing around with layered vocals ala Scott Kelly and Steve von Till.

‘TranscendX’ fires us into space, a positively punked-out riff leading the way, almost MOTÖRHEAD in tone, but there’s that first Thomas G. Warrior “Unnnh!” as well. The bridge around halfway through is tasty, and you’ve – if anything – added more synths to what MANIC ABRAXAS is made of, for the better. Nice to hear a band of this ilk that doesn’t think a theremin and Hammond B3 emulator makes ‘em “prog” or whatever just by showing up.

I wasn’t sure what the Hell to do with that DEF LEPPARD groove that puts the meat on the bones of ‘Winter’s Mute’, but by the chorus I was ready to toss the bra I don’t wear on stage and bare my glorious rack for one and all. The clean vocals blend with Trevor’s snap-mare drums so effortlessly that I was almost sorry to hear it end…until the fuckin’ dystopian carnage of the title track hit me right between my audio receptors. If Figrin D’an And The Modal Nodes ever need a night off from Mos Eisley Cantina, I think you three might be able to step in.

Nice to hear you haven’t killed off DJ, because ‘Dark Builder’ wouldn’t be the same without that black hole-creating bass of his. A bit of CELTIC FROST again here, the same era of DARKTHRONE I’d mentioned last time around gets a nod.

Quite frankly, I wasn’t sure the blend of ultra-cyber-tech and punch-in-the-gut rock and roll were getting much love these days, but you guys pulled it off with Skinformation, and mightily so.
Review By: Lord Randall

MANIC ABRAXAS
Skinformation
Independent