DJ Kantrip Reviews "Horror Show"
Following mere months after their second album, “Left of an All Time
Low”, Anders Manga has released, “Welcome to the Horror Show”, their
third full length album. While the hype and promotion for this release
has been rather muted, the album lives up to all expectations that fans
have for the Charlotte, NC band.
Anders returns with his progressive take on gothic dark wave dance
music, but unlike, “Left….”, which is more fast and upbeat, “Welcome…”
sounds more like a Switchblade Symphony, or 12 Rounds album. Dancey,
but with more of a focus on the mood and lyrics. Honestly I was quite
nervous that it would be another “Left…”, but the first single
“Beautiful” dispelled that fear very quickly. “Welcome to the Horror
Show” is an amazing counterpart to the sophomoric effort. The title
track encompasses this feeling perfectly. For those that preferred the
more aggressive sound of “Left…” I recommend the tracks, “Residual Fear” and “Lovely Sort of Death” which bring the mood back up to that heavy synthy dance vibe. Me personally, I prefer the slower tracks like “The Shrine” or the cover of Nick Cave’s “The Mercy Seat”.
While I was surprised to see another full length album so quickly from
Anders Manga, but “Welcome to the Horror Show” is by no means rushed or slapped together. From start to finish the album is another shining
example of Anders talent and ambition. I have no doubts that we’ll see
a fourth album next year possibly, but if I were them, I’d let “Welcome
to the Horror Show” settle in with fans. Again, it wasn’t as heavily
publicized as “Left of an All Time Low”, but truthfully the album’s
quality should propel it onto play lists and charts very quickly.