Gary Dranow and The Manic Emotions – Self Sacrifice (2024)
Known for poetic storytelling bound in a magical swirl of music, Gary Dranow and The Manic Emotions “put music to our troubles and dance them away”. An enigmatic group, the five-piece transcend time and distance with members from Ukraine, Australia and the USA. All come from professional musical backgrounds, each inserts a specific individuality moulding into a unique melting pot of sound – from blues to hard rock, melodic metal, and nu-metal, there’s a hint of 70s, 80s and 90s bubbling along. Dranow (guitar and lyricist), Chris Zoupa (guitar and bass), Jason Jones (drums), Roman Burda (blues harp), Klim Apalkov (vocals and keyboard), and Roman Kuznetsov (guitar) caught our attention in 2022 with ‘Twisted Minds’ and continued to captivate The Other Side Reviews throughout 2023. Come with us as we jump into one of the most recent singles, ‘Self Sacrifice’.
Exploring themes of friendship, empowerment, challenges and life in its entirety, Gary Dranow and The Manic Emotions draw together personal experiences in moving melodies; ‘Self Sacrifice’ is a tribute to the healing power of sound. Dranow explains:
“’Self Sacrifice’ is a dark and captivating song that delves deep into the complexities of human emotion and inner turmoil. With haunting lyrics that speak of inner conflict and the consequences of one’s actions, this track carries a unique blend of raw emotion and intense storytelling… it explores themes of karma, sacrifice, and the inescapable darkness within us all…”
Progressing from song to song, Gary Dranow and The Manic Emotions showcase versatility and innovation exploring different genres. From the electronic pop sound of ‘LOST AND FOUND’, the group shifts to the rock and roll single ‘Mellow Drama’; in the single ‘Self Sacrifice’, we hear a leaning toward the 90s/early 2000s melodic metal. A hint of Linkin Park mixed with Evanescence and Halestorm, one can easily imagine ‘Self Sacrifice’ blasting at a rock festival with hand-pumping, mosh pit-loving audiences singing along.
A fan of Evanescence and Linkin Park, melodic metal and nu-metal are genres close to my heart. ‘Self Sacrifice’ tosses one into a hurricane of music with pounding drums, heavy bass, scorching guitars and intense vocals twirling about. From pillar to post, you find yourself caught up in a dark haze of sound lost in a desperate flood; however, just as you lose yourself in despair, empowerment and hopefulness cling to the melody. Chaotic and confident but with a soothing tenderness in Apalkov’s voice, ‘Self Sacrifice’ is an astounding rush of insanity with a comforting embrace at the end.
Find out more about Gary Dranow and The Manic Emotions on their official website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
Listen to more outstanding melodic metal tunes on The Other Side Reviews Melodic Metal playlist:
