Review by Arek on December 21, 2015.

Manipulation - after three years of waiting the time has come to delight ourselves in the new release from this death metal quintet from Poland. I admit that their second release – Passion - awakened my animal expectation (blood, blood, more blood LOL). The third full length was released by the Russian Satanath Records; it was recorded in the Monroe Sound Studio (Vesania, Masachist) so no need to worry about sound recording and quality and Karol "Godzir" Malicki took up graphic design duties.

Ecstasy regales us with 10 hearty pieces of modern technical death metal with thrash-groove and death-core leanings that remind me of older Machine Head. Manipulation’s new album clearly differentiates itself from the wave of old-school-death metal happening nowadays. Not that I stand against it -quite on the contrary- I count myself as old-school guy and as a matter of fact I personally think that good music will always defend itself and it doesn’t matter how listener/reviewer pigeonholes it. Returning to the Ecstasy, album starts with a song “Insomnia”, after few second long intro goes medium tempo, kinda feeling out the grounds. “Sic Itur Ad Astra” in accordance with title should lead us to the stars, but for me personally, it seems that it is only the vestibule leading to the titled "stars". You must, however, admit that screamed out by Bruzyc (voc) sentence at the end of the piece makes an impression. “Lifetime” is one of the fastest pieces on the album. Do not expect, however, any type of grind-core thumping. There are, of course fast rides here but there are also plenty of breakdowns. Next – “Bad Boy” (oh-so-eloquent title, haha) Manipulation slows the gears down giving the audience a breather and serves something in thrash-core convention. However, nothing on this album is too obvious, and therefore this - what seems like - slower song is not slow in its entirety. “The Paradigm Of Unrestraint” is a renewed exemption of constant changes between harsher cuts and it’s such a delicious treat. Thus, half of the album is in the past, and the second part begins with a song promoting the album titled “Sunset Over Vatican”. That one should be mentioned together with the faster pieces on here and its program was enhanced with a guitar solo by Jacek Grecki of Lost Soul which I must admit makes quite a difference; without taking anything from the whole song of course which certainly stands out on its own. ‘Archetypes’ screamed out multiple times pierces your brain like a nail piercing Christ’s hand. The beginning of “Temples Of Vanity” reminded me of Gothenburg styled melodic death metal (In Flames in particular) but it got way more brutal at the end. Some trick those guys pulled here LOL. Here comes another nail - "pleasure”. Both of those "nails” and "Sic Itur Ad Astra" remain in your head long after turning your player off. “Burn Motherfuckers”- the title says it all, and musically it's a cross-section of the new release from Manipulation. Some parts are slower, some are faster, there’s some guitar twisters and let’s not forget about some interesting ear candy well placed in this song. Przedostatni Dzwiek Upadku is a song that could as well be on Poland’s Frontside earlier play list. With lyrics written in Polish this song is like a longing for the legacy of aforementioned. Title track “Ecstacy” finishes the album. The slowest and most chart-topping song, and for me it’s like a cigarette after good sex – it’s all over and yet….

I like to encourage fans of death, thrash and core to delve into Ecstasy by Manipulation. There is so much happening on this album that one listen would certainly not be enough, and everyone can find something to enjoy on it. Although I personally have a greater fondness for Passion, I also know that, despite the repeated listening sessions of Ecstasy, I'll come back to this album many times, just like I did with Passion.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Review by Krys on March 28, 2003.

After Andromeda's progressive/metal "Extension of the Wish" the time had come to move on into a more progressive and less metal field with "II=I". I won't lie to you, after their mind-blowing debut I was waiting for another dose of killer riffs and youthful aggression and "II=I" caught me by surprise with a more mellow and complex approach. Surprise, that after many spins turned into amazement and admiration for unlimited musical and composition skills of Johan Reinholdz and Co.

"II=I" is not an album you'll fall in love with after the first spin, much more complex and harder to understand than its predecessor "II=I" takes many spins to get into every detail. Multiple layers of progressive arrangements, broken rhythms, pentatonic scales and jazz-like musical solutions can commence the war in your head and leave you frenzied. This disc is definitely not for fans looking for in-your-face guitar assault or straightforward blast beats but if you love technical side of music then "II=I" will deliver more than you can handle.

Johan Reinholdz is one of the most gifted guitar players that the music world has to offer right now and if he won't waste his talent in years to come he has a chance of becoming a guitar genius having his name mentioned next to the biggest names of this instrument. If progressive music is not your cup, "II=I" is worth its price simply for inspiration value for young musicians. The skills and musical precision presented on this album may overwhelm the casual listener and staggers professional musicians and I don't mean just the guitar alone. Thomas Lejon and Martin Hedin are maniacs on their respective instruments and David Fremberg's wider vocal range is a welcome addition to this multitalented band. Before I conclude this review I have to calm down any skeptics already thinking of another Dream Theater clone. Andromeda is not a copycat of above-mentioned; they have enough fresh ideas and skills to make it on their own and if anyone has to worry it'd be the current progressive music world cause with the tempo those guys are maturing as musicians Andromeda might be very hard to top in years to come by any prog band.

Bottom Line: If you look for a superb songwriting and world-class musicianship "II=I" is a safe bet but for music fans hunting for pure aggression and with no interest in guitar masturbation I'd suggest to look somewhere else.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 10
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 9
Originality: 7
Overall: 9

Rating: 8.6 out of 10

Review by Krys on March 28, 2003.

After Andromeda's progressive/metal "Extension of the Wish" the time had come to move on into a more progressive and less metal field with "II=I". I won't lie to you, after their mind-blowing debut I was waiting for another dose of killer riffs and youthful aggression and "II=I" caught me by surprise with a more mellow and complex approach. Surprise, that after many spins turned into amazement and admiration for unlimited musical and composition skills of Johan Reinholdz and Co.

"II=I" is not an album you'll fall in love with after the first spin, much more complex and harder to understand than its predecessor "II=I" takes many spins to get into every detail. Multiple layers of progressive arrangements, broken rhythms, pentatonic scales and jazz-like musical solutions can commence the war in your head and leave you frenzied. This disc is definitely not for fans looking for in-your-face guitar assault or straightforward blast beats but if you love technical side of music then "II=I" will deliver more than you can handle.

Johan Reinholdz is one of the most gifted guitar players that the music world has to offer right now and if he won't waste his talent in years to come he has a chance of becoming a guitar genius having his name mentioned next to the biggest names of this instrument. If progressive music is not your cup, "II=I" is worth its price simply for inspiration value for young musicians. The skills and musical precision presented on this album may overwhelm the casual listener and staggers professional musicians and I don't mean just the guitar alone. Thomas Lejon and Martin Hedin are maniacs on their respective instruments and David Fremberg's wider vocal range is a welcome addition to this multitalented band. Before I conclude this review I have to calm down any skeptics already thinking of another Dream Theater clone. Andromeda is not a copycat of above-mentioned; they have enough fresh ideas and skills to make it on their own and if anyone has to worry it'd be the current progressive music world cause with the tempo those guys are maturing as musicians Andromeda might be very hard to top in years to come by any prog band.

Bottom Line: If you look for a superb songwriting and world-class musicianship "II=I" is a safe bet but for music fans hunting for pure aggression and with no interest in guitar masturbation I'd suggest to look somewhere else.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 10
Atmosphere: 8
Production: 9
Originality: 7
Overall: 9

Rating: 8.6 out of 10