·August 11, 2021·1 min read

Degenerate Era – Manic | Dark

American duo, Degenerate Era, from Nashville are a progressive metal band who formed at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. Upon dedicating 2 years to developing their unique sound, the two have released five singles! The two started Degenerate Era as a passion project, but have since turned it into a full-time band, yearning to make their mark on the metal scene. They draw inspiration from artists like TesseracT, Muse, and Deftones, incorporating dreamy soundscapes, angelic voices, and driving, crunchy guitar riffs as mentioned by the band.

Manic comes as their latest release after Carentan. Both these tracks have shown us what Degenerate Era is all about with their music. The guitars sound like they belong in a Tool album with that bass tone supporting the creatively composed melodic riffs. The soundscapes and the subtle ambient keys going on behind those guitars are so brilliantly placed; you could just close your eyes and be lost in its beauty! It’s like they’re just out of your reach.

Manic is a track that has a lot going on, the angelic vocals, melodic leads, heavy riffs – It grabs any prog lovers attention as soon as soon as the ethereal riff kicks in; a blissful journey similar to what TesseracT offers. The hard drums, while not punchy and in your face, are still potent enough to drive the song forward while the other instruments come in and out of the track swiftly.

The vocals do more than enough justice to the serene soundscape created. The cleans cut through the mix perfectly carrying the instrumentals in perfect unity. I was impressed by how well the vocal melodies in this song were written, it perfectly complements the instrumental melodies. I’ve already added it to my own playlists. Give this track a listen, and you’ll know what’s up!

Be sure to add Manic to your playlists now!