Mania-Unchained Wrath

Firefield Records
2012

Not to be confused with the other German heavy metal band Mania or the Texas heavy metal band Mania. Rather this Mania is all about thrash. Since they do come from Germany there is a lot of Sodom, Destruction and Kreator to be found as well as some death metal leanings. This debut album follows two demos and from the sounds of it these guys might be onto something down the road. Again, not original in the least and not something we haven't seen a thousand times before. But it is brutal and sure to please fans of German thrash. Give them a few albums to work out the kinks and develop more of their own sound. Recommended by the same friend who suggested Mechanikill. So he is two for two.

Forgotten Gems-Mania-No lullabies

Self-produced
1986

Mania hailed from Houston, Texas and released just this one album. The first thing you will likely notice is that vocalist Stacey Richards sounds a whole lot like Lizzy Borden. For me that's a definite plus and his style blends well with the music. The music is at times a little like early Lizzy Borden too. The seven tracks on "No lullabies" are all strong. Opener "Rock hard" is a fist pumping anthem. "Treat me this way" reminds me of a cross between Lizzy Borden and Dokken. "Night stalkers" starts with an odd paced almost bouncing feel, but is soon elevated some blazing solos and rhythms. "Cut ya down to size" goes back and forth between blazing blasts and some hard chops. "Licensed to kill" goes from a low and steady pace down to a heavy slow glide and then back again. Maybe the best written song on the album. "Promises" has a late 70's/early 80's hard rock sound to the music and the chorus. "Go for broke" continues with a late 70's/ early 80's vibe and makes me think of Starz with Lizzy Borden on vocals. Mania were comfortable going between hard rock and metal. It's a shame they didn't stick around longer because I would have like to have seen what they would have done on a second album.