Review by Rachel Jablonski
Three years ago, in 2005, The Spore by a band called Opiate for the Masses was my choice for album of the year. I found The Spore to be unexpectedly one of the most creative, conceptual, and engaging albums at that time and anticipated great potential from the band.
Now, with a new label, a new bass player, and a new album, Opiate for the Masses has again done the unexpected – they have not progressed to their potential. I had high hopes for the band’s evolution when they signed with Century Media Records and adopted bass player Anna Kjellberg of Drain STH fame for the release of their new album called Manifesto. But, disappointingly, Manifesto does not match nor exceed the brilliance of The Spore.
The fundamental strengths of Opiate for the Masses are still present on Manifesto. Layers of hard rock, electronic elements, and accompanying samples draw interest. The catchy chorus lines are inescapable, but not always positively so. At times, the overabundance of short chorus hooks and simplistic song structure becomes irritating, the songs become choppy and abrupt, and the sound generic.
The album begins with a hook driven track called “21st Century Time Bomb”. Among electronic beats and a raw guitar sound is the governing chorus, Hey the people kneel down to pray today… I’m a 21st century time bomb! Hey the people kneel down to pray to me… I’m a 21st century time bomb! The sharp, repetitive chorus poses imagined energy if translated live, but becomes ridiculously redundant on disc. “Hold On”, “Wandering Star”, and “Black Book” each possess a similar effect.
“Burn You Down”, the first radio single from Manifesto, along with “Dead Underground” and “Naked” are more substantial tracks. Each of these songs contains slightly more depth than the other tracks on the album as they are composed of more than just chorus hooks. The guitar riffs on these tracks better mesh with the vocals; the vocals are not quite as dominant and distracting and thus the music is allowed to have a voice as well. “Dead Underground” is one of the only tracks with a guitar solo. “Naked” is dark with heavy riffs and clearly captures Opiate for the Masses' industrial rock roots.
Simply put, Manifesto is a disappointing follow-up to The Spore. Though not every track on the album is a bust, my attention span has weakened.