The music on "Maninkin Parade" is clearly Prog but really deep and innovative too. A bit like POS (which is the main influence of this new combo anyway), the music of the first album of Vangough is really original. This is not blasting music but something really melodic, with ballads and piano, but also big good riffs, technical guitars soli and long songs which have a lot of different parts and passages. But what I like the most in this release and in the music is the really good vibes that it gives to the listeners. Like with Anathema or POS for example, there is something else behind the music and I'm quite sure that the one who like to listen to Metal not only to headbang will quickly understand what I mean, this is just deep and beautiful and absolutely not simple.
The only problem for me in "Maninkin Parade" is maybe that Clay Withrow tries a bit too much to sound like Daniel of POS. Clay has a unique beautiful voice but sometime his intonations, his way to sing his lyrics are a bit too similar to the ones of Gildenlöw. Don't worry this is not a clone too but Clay should try to be a bit more natural and it should be perfect (because his voice is good anyway, that's obvious). Other than that this release is really deep and will give you a lot of emotions and different feelings. The concept is well written and the music perfectly fits to the main theme. Vangough tells a real musical story with this album, this is pretty nice.
"Maninkin Parade" is a self-released album, this is not signed on any label and so what? I'm wondering if labels managers are deaf sometime or if they need a big kick in the ass to wake up, because there is nothing else to do than to organize some promotion and add a logo on the back cover of release. The sound is really good, the voice of Clay Withrow is perfect, the interpretations of the songs are professional and really well done, what do they need really? "Maninkin Parade" features thirteen really good tracks, a good general story and a really good and sensitive way to play Progressive Metal. This is clearly the kind of band that I would like to sign on my own label; the risk is equal to zero...
Vangough will maybe have to find a way to do a break with its main influence, Pain Of Salvation. But actually, it's ok because "Maninkin Parade" has its own personality too and anyway this is just a first album, a fact which leads me to the conclusion that the next release should be a lot more personal. Anyway, it's rare to find such a promising band and I really think that we're just in front of a future next sensation of the Progressive Metal scene so please don't wait anymore time to buy this album, believe me we're in front of a real masterpiece. Until today, "Manikin Parade" is the Prog revelation of the year 2009 and believe me this is just a beginning? An absolute must!
