Album Details

• Artist: Vangough
• Album: Manikin Parade
• Label: Indie
• Year of Release: 2009
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: hstisgod on 2009-08-23

With so many artists doing different hybrids of Metal, it's becoming harder everyday to make an impressive Metal record. While Vangough makes an impressive sound that can be compared to the likes of Dream Theater, the execution of their sound is not always up to snuff of the aforementioned legends on Manikin Parade.

Songs like "Christmas Scars", start off on a blitz and end with a triangle lead, but have either poorly written or poorly strummed bridges. Many high and lows are found, from the deep pounding of the title track to "Dance Of The Summer Mind" which has a soft acoustic melody and mood. While most rhythms are written with agility in mind, its truly the vocals that do not step in well. Such as track two Manikin Parade, which fits more the taste of Queensryche with the flu. Truly, the lead vocalist has some range, and sets the tone right, but there's something very uncomfortable about his transition from singing to mini-rap tangents to the very random one liners that are seemingly designed to end an instrumental note. Several times though this song, the verse ends with "Some assmebly required" or "Can you hear God through that iPod?" in his creepiest, yet goofy voice. I believe I understand that statement they were trying to make, I'm just not sure they did it in the greatest fashion. There is a bridge in here that has a fantastic release and rebuild into a nice solo, but not nearly enough to save them from the embarassment of its preceeding vocals.

Lots of pianist chiming, and melted vocals to mix with a sometimes impressively basic symphonic Metal. I can't say the lead vocalist is dragging them down, or even that he needs to be replaced or tossed. But there's is some tweeking to be done before I can see these guys interesting any one other than odd 30 year-olds still living in their parents basement.

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