There’s new blood on the Goth scene- his name is Anders Manga, and that’s good news for anemic music-vamps. I think this is a name you’re going to hear a lot in the future, so you better get used to it. So just who IS this Anders Manga, anyway? Well, if you’re addicted to Gothic music, go to Goth festivals and conventions and read the Goth publications, you just may already know. Hailing from Charlotte, North Carolina, Anders Manga is getting out of the coffin and doing what has to be done to take a bite out of the world of musical darkness. Already garnering a “Best Band Award” nominee by Gothic Beauty magazine, Manga has 3 previous albums under his belt, and he’s only been actively around since 2005! So how does the brand spankin’ new “Blood Lush” stack up? Well, I’ll tell you….

Beginning with the title track, “Blood Lush” is a platform boot goth club stomper that has all the elements in place to make it a classic. Simple, effective, yet interesting enough to hold your attention. Great opening track that screams for a remix. Not only a memorable chorus, but a nice little bridge too. The music has been labeled “Gothtronica”- synths and drum machines are the primary (more…)

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Four albums in three years, no other musician or band, that I can think of, has ever done this. And had any other artist tried it something would be lost with each succeeding album. But Blood Lush remains true to the style and aural presence that is the musical world of Anders Manga. The album takes you through a soundscape of sexuality cloaked in darkness.

Tolerate is the track that hit me the hardest, though I’m not sure why. The Lines:

Let’s crash the world and let’s shatter all of the gates
Let’s conjure all the insanity that we can tolerate

Conjure in me a willingness to take things to excess, but that’s just me. It’s heartbeat rhythm and screeching synths can conjure nightmare if you leave the headphones on while you’re listening to it. But like I’ve said before nightmares are a good inspiration. Science Fiction is a soft ballad of a twisted and warped relationship. It’s almost heartbreaking to listen to, Anders successfully projects the wrenching pain through his voice and the band is a symphony of tears. 49 Snakes is easily the most energetic track on the album. It’s a scary insanity filled song bringing images of hallucinations and padded cells. The are two tracks that didn’t do much for me though, Public Service Announcement and I Cast You Out. And it’s not because they’re bad, I just didn’t get anything out of them.

I think Blood Lush might be the best album Anders has made thus far. It’s dark and scary, and could totally be the soundtrack of one of those old Hammer House horror movies, but it would have to be one of the Dracula movies starring Christopher Lee.

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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.

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When Anders Manga first came onto the scene in 2005 he quickly became, according to download.com, the year’s most downloaded artist. I don’t remember how I came across Anders website but I do remember the energy I felt when I first heard One Up for the Dying. I was blown away by the force that was emanating from my speakers. Needless to say, I bought the album soon afterwards. Then in 2006 Anders released Left of an All Time Low, and the energy didn’t dissipate in fact it grew. Now not even 10 months later we get Welcome to the Horror Show.

The title track, Welcome to the Horror Show, is easily my favorite song on the album. It’s a soft, melodic song and combined with Anders deep dark voice, it is an instant hit. I guess the same could be said about the entire album but Welcome to the Horror Show is the on that stood out for me. I could just feel the torment of the song, and the piano during the chorus just added to that feeling. Beautiful, the next track, is the first track from the album to have a video and can be seen at Anders Manga’s website. It’s a dark commentary on beauty and that our collective conscience is that if our outward appearance is beautiful then our inner turmoil will disappear; I could be way off base with that though. 5150 creeped me out, when I listen to it I get images of an old house and inside and up the stairs was an old baby crib with and old crane of a woman sitting beside it gently rocking it and this song playing as the lullaby. Also on the album is Mercy Seat, a track originally done be Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds, it is excellently done; Anders took this song and made it his own.

One Up for the Dying has been in my stereo since the day I got it, I recently took it out to put Welcome to the Horror Show in it’s place, I have a feeling that it will be there until Anders’ next release. If you consider yourself a fan, then you need to get this album. It’s worth its weight in gold.

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Anders Manga burst onto the goth scene with “One Up for the Dying” in 2005 and made a name for himself with slick online music videos and memorably energetic live shows. Now the one man wonder from Charlotte, NC has brought in additional talent on his second release adding new depth and layers to his increasingly popular sound. Less minimalist that the first effort, “Left on an All-Time Low” builds upon Anders Manga’s eminently danceable style with tracks like “Character in Charm, “Bad Girls Go to Hell,” and the new wavey “Empire on the Sun,” while moodier tracks like the watery “Bloodletting on the Kiss” and wistful “Surrender” keep your ears from tuning out an otherwise undying devotion to the beat. Such variety makes this disc listenable as an album rather than just a collection of gothtronica dance hits.

There’s something for everyone on this CD, from the industrial crunch of “This Circle” to the remake of Mercyful Fate’s “Gypsy,” which drops the cult metal classic straight onto the dance floor without thinking twice about it. The vocals are sexy and steamy and the lyrics evoke dark, twisted images and emotions without ever falling into the pit of gothy gloom and doom. Alll in all, an innovative aural treat for all lovers of music dark and strange.

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