MANIC STREET PREACHERS - THE HOLY BIBLE
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So my previous review was about the Manic Street Preacher's second album, gold against the soul, so I thought what better a time to tackle their next album, 1994's The Holy Bible.

Most people will be familiar with the band due to a number of chart topping singles released over the last few years, the problem is that these don't really show how good this band was in the earlier days, so im going to review the album that really shows what the Manics were about.

The four members of the band grew up close to each other in a small mining town in Wales
The band all had a love of rock music, especially groups like 'The Clash' and 'Guns and Roses', they were also very intelligent and interested in politics etc.

The band formed in the late 1980's and released a single, Suicide Alley, which was recorded by scraping all of their dole cheques together.

A couple more singles/Eps came and went, then the band released its debut album in 1991, 'Generation Terrorists', which contained some good songs like 'Motorcycle Emptiness' and 'You Love us', but it also contained way too much filler material.

Then two years later they released the better produced but sadly overlooked album, 'Gold against the soul'

which brings us nicely into 1994, where they bring out a record which surprises a lot of people and is hailed as a classic for years to come....

BAND MEMBERS
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At the time the band consisted of four members,

James Dean Bradfield - Lead Guitar and Vocals.
Sean Moore - Drums.
Nicky Wire - Bass and Backing vocals.
Richie Edwards - Rhythm guitar and backing Vocals.

James and Sean wrote all of the music for the album, as the other two members couldn't play their instruments very well, in fact during gigs they would often leave Nicky's Bass Guitar unplugged!

Nicky and Richie where the bands lyrical geniuses, with Richie providing most of the bands bleak and gloomy sounding lyrics.
On this album almost 75% of the lyrics were written by Richie.

Sadly this was the last album to feature Richie Edwards (although some songs on the next album were written by him), as he disappeared a year later, and still to this day no one knows what actually happened to him

THE ALBUM
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The album contains 13 songs and runs at a respectable 56 minutes.
One word of warning though, If you are used to the Manics of today, with their slow ballad type middle of the road rock tunes, this album might shock you on first listen.
Also if you don't like albums with bad language then it might be a good idea to give this one a miss!

TRACK ONE - YES
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Talk about opening an album with a great instant tune, well that's exactly what you get with this one.
Opening with a simple bass line and a driving drum beat, over the top of this is a nicely played simple infectious guitar progression.
this soon gives way for a rocking chorus which is an instant head dweller, and will stay there for quite some time.

Lyrically this is a very clever but deep song, which doesn't really come out until you actually read the lyrics because the vocals tend to be a little difficult to understand at times, but this doesn't mean they are bad, in fact James' vocals are on top form during this song, and he really does a good job of fitting the lyrics into the music.

A word of warning though this song does feature a few naughty words!

TRACK TWO - IFWHITEAMERICATOLDTHETRUTHFORONEDAYITSWORLDWOULDFALLAPART
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Another fine tune follows, with this song about American politics and Gun Laws.

The song kicks off with another one of James' trademark infectious jangely guitar riffs, which really gives the song a life of its own.
The song also features some fine drumming by Sean, although the drums seem to be pushed far back in the mix so they are not quite as loud as I would like!

What really lifts this song up from being just another rock tune is the madly catchy chorus, which you will be humming for hours if not years to come.

Lyrically this is another work of art by the lyrical members of the band, with some clever references to American figures and Cultures.

James vocals work to such a good level on songs like this, where he gets a chance to really let rip at some points, boy can he shout, yet even when shouting he is strangely tuneful, fantastic.

TRACK THREE - OF WALKING ABORTION
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After the two almost poppy tunes we come to this, which is a completely different kettle of fish, this is a dark tune, almost machine like, with growling guitars and crashing drums, and a deep rumbling bass line just to give it an even more menacing feel.

Yet even though its so different from the first two songs it really fits surprisingly well, and you soon realize that this album is something special, a one off, something you will be listening to in twenty years time.

The music is just so atmospheric, it slowly builds around you then starts digging into your brain, this is not easy listening though and will take a good few listens to really appreciate it.

Although this is a deep dark song its still surprisingly catchy, and again features some fine vocals, which make quite difficult reading but really show a lot of talent.

Vocally James gives another fine performance, which cant be easy with lyrics as dark and difficult as are featured here.

TRACK FOUR - SHE IS SUFFERING
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This was released as a single and isn't quite as dark musically as the last song.

A slow burning tune, which on first listens isn't nothing special but given a bit more time and its a good tune, with a simple but effective chuggy tune which is really just a place for James to show his vocal talents.

The lyrics are not quite as good as on earlier tunes, but James does a great job of making them into a solid song.
The vocals are very emotive and sound very passionate and full of meaning.
James uses his voice very well reaching some very hard notes whilst never sounding like he's showing off.

TRACK FIVE - ARCHIVES OF PAIN
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Another deep song, this time talking about the prison system and how murderers are almost being hero worshiped, with people like Hindley and Brady getting more airtime than their victims.

This is another brooding tune with a strong bass line and a driving drum beat forming the main backbone to the song, the guitar doesn't really kick in until the chorus, which is a list of evil killers shouted with such anger and feeling by James, you can tell this is a subject that really eats at him and the rest of the band.

Again this is not easy listening, but whilst played on the album it fits perfectly and is a pretty good rock song in its own right and it ends up with a cool solo by James which really ends the tune on a high.

TRACK SIX - REVOL
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So onto this the next tune, and we are in punk territory here, with a simple three chord guitar riff which shows another style that this band possesses.

Lyrically this isn't quite up to the standards of earlier songs, basically being a list of dictators and world leaders.

The vocals are just about right for this sort of song, although by no means James' finest work it still fits well and gives a good reason to shout along with you hands in the air.

TRACK SEVEN - 4ST 7LB
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This is another dark track, which was written by Richie about his battle with Anorexia.
One of the strange things about this band is that sometimes the music doesn't really fit with the lyrics, not in a bad way though, just that some of the lyrics can seem really deep and dark yet the music isn't quite as dark and even sounds a bit poppy at times, this is one such track.

Musically its a crunchy guitar riff played over some clever drumming.
The chorus features a nice sounding guitar piece, which gives it a quite poppy feel.

James' Vocals work well here, giving a lot of feeling and add a bit of atmosphere to the song.

TRACK EIGHT - MAUSOLEUM
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This is another lyrically deep track, which really must have been difficult for James to sing, but as usual he seems to pull it off fairly well, although this is one of my least favourite tracks, it doesn't offer a lot special to the cause, and almost sounds like its here just to make up the numbers and the running time.

The music is a grinding tune which is mainly made up by a repetitive little guitar riff, played over a simple drum beat.

As an album track its not one to skip, but it doesn't offer anything new.

TRACK NINE - FASTER
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Another Richie penned song, this time about his fights against self harm.
This takes the band back into punk territory again, and this time they do it a lot better than on the earlier try, revol.

This song gives off a strong sense of the original 70's punk bands such as the Sex Pistols but with a bit more of a pop feeling.

The music features another killer infectious riff, which is likely to get you playing the air guitar for a few hours.
The drums and bass do a good job of keeping the tune together and this really shows how well this band can all play.

The vocals seem more noticeable on this song, like they have been pushed towards the front of the track, this gives James a good chance to show what he is good at, rocking vocal performances.

This was also released as a split single with P.C.P.

TRACK TEN - THIS IS YESTERDAY
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Well after having dark tunes, rocking numbers and punk songs it only seems right that we should get an almost straight pop type ballad song!
This is a strange track, which really shouldn't fit, but it does and it works really well.

Not really sure about the lyrics though, they don't seem to have the same depth or feeling as some of the other songs, and in the end the song seems a little lightweight, but that's a nice change after the deep tunes.

Vocally this seems a bit strange, as James has a weird effect on his voice, which he really doesn't need, but again it all works on the final track and fills a nice space on the album.

TRACK ELEVEN - DIE IN THE SUMMERTIME
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This starts with an interesting guitar sound then soon draws into a simple rocking guitar riff which gives a nice place for James to provide some vocals!

again strangely with subject matter such as we have here, it seems strangely poppy, but again it works well and it all comes together into a fairly anthemic song.

Possibly not as good as some of the earlier songs, but still a well played and well written song which gives the album a bit more atmosphere.

Vocally James does a good job in interpreting the deep lyrics, and shows a lot of range to his voice.

TRACK TWELVE - THE INTENSE HUMMING OF EVIL
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This is a very difficult song, about the atrocities that happened in Nazi POW camps in the second world war.

The title of this song really fits well as this is exactly how id describe the music, its an evil sound, with a very metallic sound, which gives a strong feeling of fear and hurt, very atmospheric, and it obviously took a lot of effort from the band to come up with something so fitting.

James voice is filled with hate and anger on this song, and it shows a lot of talent even if its not something that you would normally listen to.

certainly not music to play at a party or a social gathering, but interesting nonetheless.

TRACK THIRTEEN - P.C.P
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After that we really need something to end the album on a high, something fast paced.
Luckily they saved a great piece of poppy punk right till the end!

This song is about how everything has gone too far with regards to being politically correct.
It really is a great tune, one of the best on the album and really sends us off on an high, with a great thrashy driving guitar riff and fast paced drumming.

The song features another instantly addictive chorus and some clever lyrics which show a lot of talent and quality which sadly has been lost since Richie's disappearance.

Vocally this is just right, most of the words are understandable the pace is just right and it all just fits perfectly.

OVERALL
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Well we've almost come to the end of another difficult review!
So what more can i say, this album really should be sitting in every rock fans collection, alongside all of the other classic albums of the last couple of decades.

Obviously this isn't going to be to everyones taste, and some of the tunes will be a bit hard on any listener, but once you pick up the lyric sheet and persevere with the album for a while it all starts to make more sense.

Also don't be put off if you have listened to The manics more recent albums and didn't like them, because this is an almost completely different sound to what they produce nowadays, this had energy and a lot of atmosphere, which is sadly lacking in their more recent outputs.

Anyway Thanks for reading, please leave any comments.

Kyle