Band:	Manatark
Album:	Chaos Engine
Style:	Melodic black metal
Release date:	2003
Guest review by:	destroyah

01 The Principle
02 Parallels And Parity
03 Four Walls
04 We stole your Death
05 The Serpent's Tongue
06 Crystal
07 Devilchant
08 Lies, Blasphemy, Deceit

Prepare to lose your grace! These are the last words of the albums intro, and the last words you will hear before the first song slams right into your face.

"Chaos Engine" is the second album of the Estonian black metal band Manatark. This time the lyrics are in English, so non-Estonian listeners will be able to relate to them better. The songs themselves sound interesting and there are plenty of memorable riffs. The tracks are varied and unique.

The atmosphere of this album is particularly interesting. It's quite hypnotizing, yet having parts that won't let you completely wander off to dreamland. The lyrics are fascinating, seducing but they may take a while to get through to. So basically you can use your head for getting into the deep lyrics as well as for lots of decent moshing.

What instantly drew my attention was they way the albums intro and the following track were linked together. The transition is very well planned. The intro will distract your senses a bit, you'll be surrounded by this musical fog as you hear the storytellers voice. The sounds fade and it's a silence before the storm. Then you'll hear that voice again, saying the aforementioned words: prepare to lose your grace. And with a blast the fury begins - fast, hard and melodic. The next songs, with the exception of the majestic "Four Walls", are fast ones as well, however maybe with a more melancholic undertone and not as energetic as "Parallels and Parity", but equally good. "Devilchant" goes in the same group with "Four Walls" and has a slight heavy metal touch to it, especially in the beginning of the song. "The Serpent's Tongue" is a twisty and wicked song with really nice brutal places. Some riffs and opera like background vocals in another song brought newer Dimmu Borgir to my mind.

Now coming back to the atmosphere, "Chaos Engine" suddenly changes with the mystical and amazing keyboard instrumental "Crystal". It's hard to describe the weird feelings and moods it creates. Cosmic and grand are the first associations. And the paradox - the transition as it could be experienced in the very beginning of the album, appears again. With chills running down your spine you gaze at the picture painted in front of your eyes with keyboards, until it grows more and more silent and you hear a slightly spooky, quiet but catchy and elevating guitar melody coming in, marking the beginning of the next song. This metamorphosis would also suit perfectly as a beginning for some album.

As for the ending, the last one and a half minutes from the last track, are perfect. By all means a great outro, grave and mighty. It's like standing on a beach watching at the massive
dark grey sky and the greenish sea. The last sounds of thunder become evermore distant.

Then you play it again.