Band:	Manigance
Album:	Récidive
Style:	Heavy metal
Release date:	January 19, 2011
A review by:	White Winter Sun

01. Aura
02. Larme De L'Univers
03. Mercenaire
04. Secret De L'Âme
05. Récidiviste
06. Chant De Bataille
07. L'ombre D'Hier
08. Déserteur
09. Sans Détour
10. Dernier Allié
11. Illusion
12. Sentiers De La Peur
13. Vertiges
14. Délivrance
15. En Seigneur
16. Corps À Corps [Japanese bonus]

For those of you who have never heard of this band until reading these lines, Manigance is a Heavy/Power band from the South-West of France. The band was formed in 1995 and Récidive is the fifth full-length album from the band and was released in late January 2011 through XIII Bis Records.

Récidive marks the return of the band after five years. It is the longest delay between two of their full-length releases to date. Indeed the band has accustomed us to release a new album every two years since 2002's Ange Ou Démon. Anyway the wait is over and the new stuff is out now. This time, the album title is not focused upon an opposition as it was the case on the previous releases with "angel" and "demon" on Ange Ou Démon or "the shadow" and "the light" on L'Ombre Et La Lumière. Récidive can be interpreted as a comeback from the band in the metal scene after this "long" delay. Also the main difference compared to the band's previous releases comes off the length of the songs, which are definitely shorter on this new opus.

Anyway the trademark of the band remains the same, the recipe is unchanged, the songwriting remains focused on life, humans and philosophy, the whole sung in French. Once again Didier Delsaux has done incredible work with his particular singing tinted of rasping vocals. His voice is definitely one of the key points in the band's music and transcribes perfectly the emotions along the minutes. As on their previous albums, the guitars work is impressive too (simply have a listen to the track "Larmes De L'Univers"). François Merle and Bruno Ramos deliver the melodic lines along the minutes punctuated by games with the keyboards from Jean Lahargue and supported in the background by the effective drumming from Daniel Pouylau. The bass lines from Marc Duffau are also audible, such as on the track "Vertiges," testifying of the good work done in terms of production and in the mastering which was handled by Tommy Hansen (Helloween, Pretty Maids).

On the whole Récidive hosts no forgettable tracks or boring moments, even though the album is rather long (near 70 minutes for 15 tracks). One of the most damageable points could have been the originality. Indeed Récidive is not reinventing the wheel, but is it so important when the musicians' performance is there and when the songwriting is really well-grounded? Clearly not. Récidive is a solid album and confirms the band among the leaders of the French Heavy metal scene, alongside with Nightmare and Lonewolf. So if you are a fan of this kind of stuff, simply put this fucking album on your CD player and enjoy your listening. French Heavy metal is alive!

Highlights: "Larmes De L'Univers," " Vertiges," "Sentiers De La Peur"

Reminder: If you want to have a taste of the album, Récidive is available for streaming in its entirety for free at this location. Enjoy!