Know Your Enemy - Manic Street Preachers

This album has met fierce criticism from just about every magazine that has reviewed it, but I have tried to view this album from my own isolated perspective. This is the perspective of a someone who has been a fan since 1996 and loves the music of the band from 1993-1996. The title of this review isn’t really a completely fair reflection on this album, there are some fantastic songs, but then there are some truly awful songs too and none of them are really as good as the best music the band have produced in the past. From a historical angle, this is the band’s second album without any input from the genius Richey Edwards and comes fully 2 and a ...  Read the complete review

The Manic Street Preachers return with their sixth long-player, “Know Your Enemy”. This from a band that once said, “We’ll release one record and then split up”. A few years later, Nicky Wire, removing his foot from his mouth long enough to eat some humble pie, said, “We reserve the right to contradict ourselves.” So, they’ve put out a new record, what could possibly be their last release before a greatest hits album to draw a lien under their career. After the disappointment of their last album “This is my truth…” this has been a hotly anticipated album. There are people out, sharpening their ...  Read the complete review

After the immense commercial success of both 1996 album 'Everything Must Go' and 1998's 'This is My Truth, Tell Me Yours', the Manics went away and came back to us with the aural equivalent of a slap with a wet fish. This is the Manics doing what they do best. Being angry, awkward and isolated from the rest of the rock world. So isolated that they went to Cuba to promote the album, and met Fidel Castro in the process. If you're a fan of overblown, big and airy, melodic Manics then just stop now. Because from the opening track 'Found That Soul' this album is 1 hour and 10 minutes of disjointed, eclectic, confused noise. And that's why I love ...  Read the complete review

After far too long, the Manic Street Preachers are back. And they're angry. They sold their souls when they released their internationally best-selling album This is my truth, tell me yours. And now they're buying them back with sweat, bile and good, honest VOLUME. The first track makes this abundantly clear. Found That Soul, one of four hit singles from the album, sets the tone for the album. A warm, fuzzy guitar part backs singer/guitarist James Dean Bradfield as he screams about vague existential angst before breaking into the first of many mighty choruses on the album. Interpreting Manics lyrics is sometimes a risky business, but this song seems to ...  Read the complete review

Prior to the release of this record, there was much criticism of its predecessor, "This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours". It was labelled as artistically barren, over-contemplated and populist. Harsh criticism indeed, and largely unnecessary, as this album showed another facet of the Manic Street Preacher's capabilities and was loaded with rich instrumentation, beautiful melodies, flowing chord sequences and many varied styles. It was an album to proud of, yes, by no means poor and in every way excellent. It's failing points were a lack of louder, rawer, more traditional Manics material (with the exception of "Nobody Loved You"), ill-advised use of ...  Read the complete review