Acid Death – Random’s Manifest

Released: 2000, Black Lotus Records
Rating: 3.0/5
Reviewer: Michael De Los Muertos
If you review metal albums long enough, you’ll eventually get cynical. While I’m not willing to admit that’s happened to me – I still LOVE metal and would never treat it as just another day at the office! – I do find I tend to make snap judgments sometimes. One look at the cover of Acid Death’s RANDOM’S MANIFEST, showing an emaciated, lacerated body (complete with a red dot over his winkie!) and I had them pegged for another unimaginative, dull death metal band.

It’s always great to be proved wrong when you deserve to be, and I deserved to be in this instance. I found RANDOM’S MANIFEST a thoroughly engaging, interesting and well-done album. The first track, “Perfect Enemy,” wasn’t much to write home about, but it had promise – good guitar work, excellent production, and at least passable vocals. Thankfully the album gets better. The songs are imaginatively written and frequently keep you guessing as to what’s coming next. “Random’s Manifest, Part I,” the second track, is one of the prime examples, not even segueing into a galloping death riff until 1:09 into the song. While I wouldn’t yet make a lot of comparisons to Control Denied, there are a fair amount of progressive elements in Acid Death’s style. Certainly fans of Death and Chuck Schuldiner in general should appreciate this album. I liked the fact that, out of twelve tracks, each of them was very different and they kept attention very well. Brutality is in good supply, as many of these songs are very fast and punishing. The vocals of Savvas-Jake B. are clear and strong, and although 99% of the album is sung in a growly (but intelligible) death style, there are occasional lapses into clean vocals – samples, perhaps? – such as in “Sense of Annihilation,” probably the album’s best track. And, while Acid Death is not a Gothenburg-styled band, this album IS surprisingly melodic for a death metal album.band

Acid Death is produced by the small Greek label Black Lotus Productions, and I certainly hope this label gives them the promotion they deserve. I’m quite sure a lot of today’s death fans would really like to hear them. Therefore, I recommend RANDOM’S MANIFEST. It’s not Dismember or Death, but it’s still an excellent band with a great album. Contact: Black Lotus Records, Kon/poleos 72, 17236 Himittos, Athens, Greece.