The Holy Bible

Started great but eventually a bit dull…

I couldn't get into this album. I don't know why. I usually enjoy this style of music. I should probably revisit this album.

Holy shit

I hadn't heard of this band or heard any of their music before, and it is a good album. Their sound and style don't sound as different now, nearly 30 years after this album was released, because I've heard so many bands in the very broad "alt-rock" category, but I'll bet back in '94 it stood out more. It still sounds solid to me, very well composed and skillfully performed with a lot of expression, but not messy or out of control. I want to go back and read some of these lyrics. Sounds like they hit hard on some important and tough areas.

Gear: DCA ÆON 2 Noire Artwork: 🥤🍔🍟 Production (2014 Remaster):🔥👌🎯 Music: 🪨🌧️🪤 Rating: ⚖️⚖️⚖️/5

Never heard them before. Just thought it was much of the same. Ok not great

Interesting to find out that most of their “hits” that I know and hate came after their main talent disappeared into a pit of his own depression and angst. Turns out the original line up was dark as fuck and pretty legit. Unfortunately, the sound reminds me too much of their later Faux-poetic shite. But at least now I’m aware their earlier work was authentic.

2.5

6.5/10 This one was a baffler. It starts out with a song that sounds like it could have been the opening for a late 90s sitcom. Poppy grunge. But then it gets weirder, more slippery in style. This album sounds like it was made by a 75% less talented Brian May and Freddy Mercury. Which is to say the singer and the guitar player are very talented indeed. The lyrics are earnestly political and the clear tone of the singers voice is set at odds against the tougher guitars. It's almost proggy at points, but still feels like it can't quite be all it can because of the gravity of the late nineties. I don't know if I like it, but it did confuse me a bit. Which, bravo!

A bit too preachy... heh heh. But actually, I enjoyed this album. Great instrumentals. Good album, overall.

Not bad! These guys are crass and can go kinda hard. Good musicianship too

Started off enjoying but got kinda tired of it by the end

Decent

It's okay. Starts to all sound the same after a while

Two listens in and I kind of enjoy it. Pretty standard 90’s alt rock fare. Good lyrics, interesting backstory to the band. Not sure I would listen again, so rating a 3 for now.

Okay. Not super exciting but certainly not bad.

Was fine

3.2

Never heard this one before. It's solid and efficient, but you find yourself waiting for a signature track that never comes. Odd that an album that performed so poorly commercially makes the 1001 list.

It's not bad but it's a bit samey and lacks any real hit. I'll need to play this a bit more...

What a strange mix of like Foo Fighters, Sex Pistols, MCR, Rage against the Machine, very weird. And before a lot of those bands did their thing. I liked it

6/10

Couldn’t get into it for some reason. Maybe in another week. Shit happens.

Hadn’t really listened before, although knew the name. Some pretty good stuff on here, but I don’t think I’ll necessarily seek it out again.

I didn't hate it, but it kinda just washed over me and left nothing behind. 3/5

1.0

Not everything hits on it, but there are a handful+ of really quality songs on here. May come back to it to see if the others grow on my as well. 6/10

I've heard a lot of hype for this album. Not bad, but I was hoping for a bit better.

Again and alright album, defs at its best with the heavier stoof. 2.5/5

This one more my speed - a little rawer, borderline thrashy in a couple of sections will contrast really interestingly with the arena rock stuff. Still, it way overstsys it's welcome and has a foot firmly in the cringe pool on multiple tracks. Hey, I had fun. Fave track: Ifwhiteamerica...

There was a time when I was listening to Manic Street Preachers - namely 2014, after they released Futurology. But this isn't how I remember my Manic Street Preachers phase - The Holy Bible feels pretty forgetable.

The album as a whole feels 90’s-generic and forgettable but there are a few standout moments.

I don't like this. It's nearly very good, but isn't. it's poor Nothing wrong exactly but I don't like the vocsls, lyrics, tone, earnestness, and tunes. Not for me.

Liked a song at a time but the whole Album was repetitive.

Correctos.

Album 86 of 1001 Manic Street Preachers - The Holy Bible Rating : 2 / 5 Not a bad listen. Some nice guitar, here and there. From what I understand, they lyrics can be a bit on the disturbing side, but I couldn't make out a lot of them, to be honest. The story of the leader disappearing seems to be what has kept this album going for years.

3.5 stars

I only had 2 Manics albums but had heard this one was really good. Didn't quite hit the mark for me. I was expecting it to be similar to the others, generic sounding political indie but every now and then an awesome bit of guitar work (sleepflower/slash 'n' burn). Probably unreasonable to criticise for a lack of guitar riffage but I'm doing it sorry. Stand out tracks - - Of walking abortion - She is suffering

Parts of this I really liked. Other parts really sounded like 2000s emo to me. Maybe that means this band was ahead of its time. Regardless, I think this is an album I respected more than I liked.

Somewhat similar to The Offspring's "Smash" which I suffered through a few days ago. It's also a heavier, almost metal-ish, approach in punk/grunge. The difference is that this album embraced all the pretentious elements of rock that I love. The instruments are also nice and tight unlike the loose energy from "Smash". So it's easy to be blown away by this album, especially by some ravaging bangers in it. But it's still a somewhat mid alt-rock overall, and not even the aforementioned bangers can save it that much.

It was pretty good

This album has no chill. It's seemingly always at 11, which is both good and bad. My point being.. have you tried being less manic?

Ok

This sounds like what you would use if you were making a movie set in the 90s but didn't have the budget to license a well-known band or song. Best track: (Indistinguishable)

Not too bad. 3½.

A few of the songs are just great rock tunes, but for the most part, I get the impression they were trying to be too serious about their message (for example, with all the pieces of recordings at the beginning of each track), and the actual music fell by the wayside.

had not a clue what to expect & this was definitely not it, but what a wonderful surprise! 3.5

Very average album, nothing interesting that I, or my family have found, for the fact. Just few rock songs that were pretty good and that's it, just total mediocre album. Nothing that stands out either way.

I had never heard of this band before, but am familiar enough with some of their Welsh contemporaries like Super Furry Animals and Stereophonics. I had pretty low expectations for this but enjoyed it well enough. Generally when things from the 90s I have not heard of come up they are not for me, but this was fun.

I swear I have heard the first track on this album somewhere, but can't remember where or when. This is alright. It's pretty good, but I wouldn't give it a 4. Probably a high 3. Sometimes it sounds like the lead singer is trying to do his best Freddy Mercury impression

this is exactly the music i'm talking about when i say i don't like guitars.

A bit too edgy, but that was to be expected, considering the cover. Pretty enjoyable, I liked DIE IN THE SUMMEЯTIME and AЯCHIVES OF PAIN the most.

it wasw pretty nice actually, She Is Suffering is a really good track 3.5/5 but cant rate it that so ill give it 3

This was hard to listen through, even though I suspect with more listens I'd get more into it. But it's too dark to dig deeper into right now. 3.5/5

This was a nice surprise. I've heard of this band before but I couldn't name a single one of their songs, so I wasn't sure what to expect. This rocked pretty hard but also had enough nuance and interesting lyrics to make me want to listen again. Going with 3 stars for now, but could go up to 4 on further listening, we'll see.

rock pop punk typique...bof

I don't think I'd ever listened to a Manics record when Richey was still in the band. It's good. I still think I enjoyed them more after.

A little mixed on this one, some of it is right up my ear canal in a good way, but some others are a little not my thing...so middle score for middle tastes of mine.

You can see glimmers of their greatness here. Interesting music but not emotionally gripping.

Genres: Rock Formed: 1986, Blackwood, Wales???. I like the Manics but this album didn’t do it for me. Presumably it’s the later stuff I’m familiar with.

ну так, рочок какой-то

Toutes les pires atrocités de l'humanité réunies dans un album avec un son très punk, parfois un peu plus " léger et pop " mais toujours avec un son gras et puissant, des paroles très travaillées et nécessaires pour comprendre les différents messages dispersés.

3/5

The word that came to mind on this album was velocity. It has both speed and direction.

HL: "Yes", "Revol", "Ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayit'sworldwouldfallapart", "This is Yesterday" Hard to rate; the musicianship + melodies are like a 4-5 but the lyrics are like a 1-2 for me (I listened to much of it with the lyric sheet open after not getting most of what he was saying). I have a surface level understanding of the Manic Street Preachers/Richie Edwards, but it feels like his struggles were trivialized, so long as he was able to stay productive & finish the record. It's also too easy to hear elements of a breakdown after the fact; perhaps the difference between this &, say, NIN's The Downward Spiral, is that the lyricist survived the press release/tour. January 11, 2023

The Holy Bible is good, incredibly angst-ridden and very listenable, though I'd stop short of saying it's very good or anything like that because it's very one-speed and doesn't reach the heights of some of their best singles. 3.

Pretty cool. Will have to revisit.

This is the second album that I have listened to of theirs. While nothing specific jumped out at me, it was pleasant enough to listen to in the background while driving. I enjoyed this album a lot more than the first one I listened to. Reading the story of how one of the members just up and disappeared was more fascinating to me than the music.

Unremarkable. Some songs, like Archives of Pain, stuck out as quite good, but on the whole it all blended together. Not bad but didn't strike me as special, just as loud and troubled. Sorry to hear what happened.

ekki spenntur fyrir fram en reyndist talsvert betri en ég hélt. 3,5.

Heard of them before, but never listened to them. Quite liked the album. I'll look into their discography.

3/5. Pretty good punk album that could be more enjoyable but it may take a few listens. Some songs sound similar.

Liked several songs but was a little one note overall and not my style

It's like arena rock meets punk? Kinda weird, but there is enough there for me. 3/5

I found this pretty exhausting, but on the other hand I liked it more than I thought I would.

Seemed ahead of its time

Very different to their later albums. Liked it more than I thought but not sure I will listen again

These guys jam Nearly an hour long... yikes Vocals are awesome Lyrics are clever at their best but sound like an edgy suburban teenager at their worst Love being a walking abortion

Yeah cool. Never heard of these guys but feels like a ?post punk? Missing link of the jigsaw between say clash/pistols and strokes/libertines. Will be part of my rotation. Could probably do without the news coverage intervals tbh. Strong 3.

Yoooo I like the punk-y vocals with lots of l substance behind it. Maybe a bit generic sounding, could be anyone. Not to be confused with boring - makes for great listening, no dud songs. Important commentary on 90s beauty standards. 4st 7lb has spicy lyrics that I'm sure resonated with alot of ppl "I wanna be so skinny I rot from view"

didn't care too much about this, good background music

manic street preachers - the holy bible (1994) notes - reminds me of at the drive in, dismemberment plan, against me - nihilistic songs about politics, race, mental health fav song - die in the summertime - really interesting guitar stuff throughout this song, catchy chorus, cool lyrics least fav - she is suffering - not a big fan of the chorus or the verse melody

Never heard of them. Was afraid it was going to be gospel music. Thankfully it was not gospel, it was Brit-Pop. Not bad, but really not anything special. The entire album just seemed really generic. No real unique sound to them. The songs were all pretty much structured the same. Seems like you could change any one of them out, including the singer, with a random journeyman musician and you would never notice.

Not nearly as tight as the follow-up album (which I received way back in the project). Still packs a punch with the same tight, punkish energy (and gets deliciously heavy in parts), but most tracks run for 1-2 minutes past their welcome. A bit of editing and the dismissal of the more repetitive tracks would make this a rip-roaring, undeniable LP, but as is it's still a fun listen regardless.

The band leader seems to have been a pretty tragic figure and according to his lyrics, a very angry person. The album was ok, definitely not horrible but also nothing worth re-listening to me.

This was enjoyable in parts. Like a '90s version of Billy Talent or Against Me.

it started off string i really enjoyed it but towards the end it was boring and i didn’t like the sound.

Boy this is a mixed bag. After the first ~3 songs I was loving this - aggressive yet melodic, with enough complexity to keep interest. And although there is/was nothing I actively disliked...It just didn't hold up in the long run. Is it too long? Would I have loved this in the LP-age when were were almost limited to around 45 minutes? Maybe it's that. Maybe it's the vocals - they're good ... until they're not (the more aggressive tunes near the middle of the album just don't work for me). Some of the songs have an abrasiveness that I'm sure was intended but isn't my favourite...e.g. "The Intense Humming of Evil" is slightly uncomfortable but also has some great parts in it - I think I should sum it up by saying it - along with a handful of other tracks here - sounds like a bunch of cool parts that end up not being great songwriting. But I will note "This Is Yesterday" and I think how was this not a hit? Great mid-tempo song that could probably have appealed to a variety of audiences. I don't know if I'd say it's a completely satisfying album overall, but there's a lot of good rock here ... I'll split this one right down the middle and will come back to about half the tracks. 5/10 3 stars

Holy Shit. This is fucking awesome. It's not all great, it's pretty raw, but it's enough for me to like the album.

Yes an intersting album

Overrated but pretty good nonetheless, accessible with a bit of interest and depth to the songwriting

It's not my favourite Manics album, but still filled with plenty of hard hitting tracks! 3.5

New nothing about MSP. Hadn't even heard of them. Really enjoyed this album. Broad range of styles. Better for a road trip than chilling.

They really were manic in places. I thought I’d enjoy it more than I did but it was alright, so an average 3*

The album was alright. I wouldn't say any song in particular is memorable or really remarkable. I did not feel the need to skip any songs. I will round up.

I actually really like this even if I don't know if I'll listen to it again. Brutal, grungy, deeply upsetting, deeply painful to listen to -- you can feel how fucking miserable this vocalist is throughout the album. It's hard to make out the lyrics, but when I looked them up, I really liked most of it. This shit is provocative and unflinching, especially to be from the fuckin' nineties. That said, idk, I think its biggest problems involve not having hooks on a lot of the songs. I can't really remember them. That's an issue. I'd say 3/5!

As someone only passably familiar with Manic Street Preachers' most radio-friendly hits, "The Holy Bible" was quite an eye-opener. When the opening song is about prostituting oneself, with the opening line "for sale- dumb cunt's same dumb questions", you know you're probably in for an unforgiving, self-lacerating experience. "Holy Bible" is just that, placing Manic Street Preachers straight into the pantheon of nihilistic 90s bands rising up in the wake of grunge. The subject matter here is provocative, uncompromising, and very bleak. It's inevitably tied with the tragic disappearance-deemed-suicide of lyricist and guitarist Richey Edwards, making for some uncomfortable listening to poison not quite unbearable music. "4st 7lb", for example, is plain unpleasant and made me think about the moral dilemma of balancing hateful art with the wellbeing of its creator (were Edwards' struggles with depression and anorexia taken seriously by anyone in the industry at the time? Or were they exploited as a publicity stunt?). "Revol" answers a question nobody needed answering: what if "We Didn't Start the Fire" was done by an angsty alt-rock 90s band? Answer: it would only have marginally more gravitas. So I've been really mixed on "The Holy Bible" and was going to give two stars after one listen, but there is a lot of merit here. Beneath the attention-grabbing toxic lyrics, some of these tracks dare to be catchy ("Yes", the chorus of "Ifwhiteamerica…" and "P.C.P" are some of the strongest examples). There's very strong musicianship (the guitar solo in "Archives of Pain", some nice shifting time-signatures, the hooky bassline in "P.C.P"). "This Is Yesterday" is as close as we get to a ballad and is one of two songs not written by Richey Edwards. It's not as radical as some of the others, but is a bit more palatable and adds a lovely touch of pathos to proceedings. Overall, "The Holy Bible" is a solid, meaty listen. It isn't all roses and sugarplums, but hey, who am I to demand what people write about?

Goes over the top in the ways you expect from 90s hardcore, but not bad. 6/10

I didn’t feel super engaged to the music but it was alright. PCP was a good song too. 6/10

There is definitely a lot going on here. The album is definitely dark... what is strangest to me is that the album sounds like you should be able to understand the lyrics, but the delivery pacing coupled with an advanced word choice makes this very hard to follow just by listening. I like the music and energy but it is a challenging listen. She is suffering stands out for me... but overall a really interesting listen.

Oh man, from Janet Jackson to this. That's a big ask... Never been much of a Manics fan, I think it's because I don't like his voice. It's always a struggle when you don't like the bit that's front and centre. I saw them on one of their early tours (You Love Us, Feb 92), when they were still in their Gn'R phase, they weren't very good. Always been a bit bored them.

I liked the instrumentation quite a bit but the lyrics were a little too much for me. So out there that I had trouble relating at all.

Best Song: Mausoleum. Really enjoyed the melody for the chorus. Worst Song: This is Yesterday. No one asked for this slow down in tempo in the middle of the album. Overall: Even though I've never heard them before, I can definitely here their influence on bands I have listened to. Although the album starts a bit slow, it picks up relatively quickly into the upbeat, dancey pop/punk/rock that it does well.

The Holy Bible reminds me of my early 20s, unrequited crushes on Manics fans, missing Richie. Not my favourite album of the Manic Street Preachers, that honour goes to Generation Terrorists. This album while mostly really good, has some dull or patchy moments. That said after not listening to them for decades i am surprised but the fact this sounds like a prototype for My Chemical Romance.

Correctos.

Inte mitt favorit MSP-album. 3*

Nearly gave a 2 until Die in the Summertime, which slaps. Over-rated.

Thought provoking lyrics and buttery guitars, some catchy beats. A couple tracks made it to my playlist but I wouldn't really come back to this one.

Nice.

Good times from a competent hard rock group. Nothing groundbreaking, but I dig their sound design and use of spoken word samples.

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I gave it a go and it wasn't for me. There were some good songs but most of them are forgettable and sound the same.

Love the Manics. But this won’t be for everyone!

After reading a little background of the album, it's indeed a very sad state of affairs. It is clear whilst listening to it that there the lead singer is not in a good place mentally and physically with documented reports of self-harm, anorexia nervosa, alcohol abuse and depression. The lyrical themes reflect heavily on politics and human suffering, yet it's one of those albums if you weren't paying too much attention to the lyrics themselves you'd happily bop along to the songs themselves without realising it's true meaning. Best: Yes Worst: Ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayit'sworldwouldfallapart

First time listening to Manic Street Preachers but I really enjoyed it!

Heavier than I expected.

This album was once recommended to me by a friend with good music taste, but I either didn't listen or just couldn't get into it (sorry James). Let's try again, shall we? The Manics have some great hit singles but none of them are on this album... after 3 listens I still can't replay any of the songs in my head, which speaks to a lack of hooks. Still, I like the energy and the industrial/grungy feel to the guitar work, and I enjoyed the music more and more with each listen. Haven't properly delved into the lyrics which are supposedly the strongest part of the album (they're not easy to make out, to be fair), but I am at least starting to understand the hype now.

Not a huge Manics fan but this is a decent album. 3 stars

Many of the songs on this album sounded like they should be on movie soundtracks of movies that came out between 96-99. Which for me, is a good thing. I don’t think I’d go back to this for multiple listens but it was enjoyable.

okay post-punk sound.

Musically good heavy indie rock - heavier and more raw guitar sound than Everything Must Go, which I know well and rate highly. Sadly I can't make out the lyrics, so don't get the well documented angst that the critics go on and on about. Will listen to again, but for now it's just a 3, albeit a high 3.

Me gusta Manic Street Preachers pero no soy un súper fan y por lo tanto este disco que había oído de pasada me deja un poco indiferente. Se puede escuchar pero no creo que sea imprescindible. Aunque entiendo que como legado de la desaparición de Richey Edwards forma parte de al historia del rock de los 90 y sobre todo del UK Rock. Hay canciones buenas como Faster, Revol o Archives of pain.

Well it's not If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next and I think that's its biggest problem

Some fantastic songs here (Removables, Interiors), but most of the songs here are pretty forgettable.

Fun, a bit forgettable. The story around what happened after this album is weird though

Meh, It was good, but I don't get it / know if anything stood out here for me.

didnt hate it! 3

If the intention was also to compose music, the Manic Street Preachers end up sounding like less creative. Some Songs are not my cup of tea. (6/10) Favourite Tracks: She Is Suffering

The riffs are okay and the singer has a great voice, which is important in my books, especially when your lyrics are "anti" and angry. The cover art is brave and kudos to the later songs where they change it up a bit - like intro to The Intense Humming of Evil. The issue I have is that I don't know why this album - released in 1994 - would be anything special and worthy of being on this list.

Good abs interesting sound although a bit long, great behind story. I liked it

Never listened to them before and thought this was a pretty entertaining album. The lyrics were pretty deep and at times dark. Sometimes political as well. The instrumentals were solid and had a good 90s rock punk feel but still some British influences too. The backstory on this album is also pretty interesting. Overall it was good. 7.1/10

I thought it was good but didn't really enjoy listening to it, if that's possible. You get me?

A couple of decent tracks, but a bit repetitive. The low 3, giving them the benefit of doubt.

An uneasy listen for sure, especially in light of the tragic disappearance of Richey Edwards shortly after recording. The pain comes through in a number of tracks. The punk aesthetic is sincere, the band make a good sound. The production is awful- it’s impossible to hear James Dean Bradfield’s vocals much of the time - which is stupid because the band have something to say. I suspect the record rewards with successive listens but it is tough to hear the pain.

I've somehow never heard of this band, but I liked them and I'll probably give it a few more listens in the coming days.

Didn't enjoy the vocals. Forgettable

I never enjoyed this on the level that I enjoyed Generation Terrorists or Gold Against the Soul

This album was alot to digest as is this band's history. I dig the sound: I'd believe you if told me that half these songs were unreleased Against Me! tracks. Some of the unhinged moments remind me of their countrymen Mclusky (who are fuckin great btw) and a couple other moments give off a heavier gothy vibe. I'll be revisiting this one. 🌟🌟🌟

It's ok

enjoyed it - reminded me of Ash a bit

Plain average Brit pop nothing special good but not great 3/5

I woul have enjoyed this more if I could have understood the lead singer.

Decent old age punk

Killer guitar power chords, catchy hooks and riffs, but lyrically bleak and heavy. Leant more weight by the well publicized mental and health issues the lead singer had and his disappearance (assumed dead) soon after this was released.

Algunas me gustaron, pero en general muy punk para mi gusto

Nie wczułam się za bardzo, może jest lepiej

Echt een goede band, maar dit vind ik toch wel erg zwaar op de hand en te rauw. 3 sterren omdat ze de Manics zijn.

Goede rock maar niet super bijzonder

Not a bad listen, probably wouldn’t listen again but it didn’t offend me.

Couple songs I liked, was more interested in the story behind the band but some definitely solid rock stuff throughout paired with lyrical content that was fairly unique for the time.

Amazing production that is reminiscent of the 2000s pop-punk that succeeds it. Not a bad album song wise.

Can't understand a word he says...

I hadn't heard of these guys prior to listening today. There was a lot to like and a lot not to like. I liked the sound a lot more than the bleak, pissed off lyrics.

It's fine, I suppose? I get the impression that they really felt they were making an album that was out there, truly punk and transgressive, but it feels almost tame by modern standards. Also, all the songs sort of blend together. Not a favorite of mine, but I didn't hate it.

It doesn't quite grab me - not sure whether that's because it came out during my METAL phase, or what. It's perfectly acceptable alt rock. Fave track - "Faster" for sure. "Revol" is also pretty good...

Disturbing. Catchy! Iconic??

Hmph. Indie-Punk I didn't hate.

Better than I thought it was going to be.

I assumed I wasn't going to care for this based on the general vibe and a weariness with pallid, black haired UK alternative but it was pretty good. Yet another bizarre tragic young end (?) story!

Nothing special

An interesting album with a crazy back story. Really interesting. And a unique sound for the times.

Not bad, interesting band history

Interesting listen... kind of reminds me of several types of brit rock, and occasionally some nirvanas.

I wasn't enjoying it at first but it then just kind of kept growing on me. Will have to listen to it again.

Not bad not bad

Mmm decent punk

Not that bad, sound actually fairly modern for the age, would give this a 3.5

actually sort of like it but its a bit iffy so i guess i should check it some more it might not become more interesting

Fun find

I feel I recognize the first song "Yes" - which was pretty good. I would say 2.7

**An ok album

Have always liked the Manic's more than I liked their music , (much like.Billy Bragg) I .havent heard this it 30 years....and li've largely ignored them since their "If You Tolerare This" era (i liked the line about being allowed to shoot rabbits but not facists) .....it will be a nice trip down memory lane...perhaps. This has none of the pop sheen of their later records and it is all the better for its rawness. The horrific mental state of Richie Edwards is obvious and it makes a slightly harrowing listening at times (if you can actually make out what the fuck JDB is yelling about). It's all a hit samey though, and i'm struggling to stay interested despite my love of shouty vocals and punk pop.l, The guitarist is clearly a fan of Steve Hackett , despite their punk leanings..it's what I like best about this record.... They were written about as beung the new The Clash at the time (or at least keepers of their flame), i didnt think so then and I still dont. Not fo me I'm afraid, but there's not a syn drum in sight, which is nice. Motorcycle Emptiness is a great tune, but its not on this record....

I'm not overly familiar with MSP beyond their coffee table fare so dominant in the 90s. I was always vaguely under the impression that there were 2 bands, a pre and post Richie version that werre chalk and cheese. This isn't what I found. Sonically this album was very much of the same monotone plaette as their subsequent albums. Lyrically it's obviously pretty brutal, and obviously there's no hint of insencerity about it given his suicide, yet somehow the delivery set against the backdrop of bog standard, dull identikit, paint by numbers rock left me completely cold. The whole album just sort of merged into a mulch of power chords and i doubt i could describe any of the songs to you to differentiate them from any of the other songs. Will not be playing this or any other Manics songs again in my lifetime if I can avoid it. Get's a 2 for not actually being offensively unlistenable in any way.

Meh

I don't find this essential at all.

Initial reaction is I'm not much of a fan. Mostly-grating goth rock meets punk meets alternative. It's alright. But I think I need to give a closer listen to the lyrics. That Richey Edwards seems like quite the troubled and interesting individual. Someday I'll return to this. For now it's a 2, but that may change.

Not an immediate fan of this, but I’ll give it some credit first. It sounds like a pioneer album that later 90s and 00s bands built off of. I hear the strokes or even more late 90s stuff like Foo fighters That said, there’s too much on here for being so one note. Not a huge fan, but a cool experience

Was intrigued by the album cover. Found this kind of annoying and unmemorable.

Rather weak, dated, 90's rock

Gritty album with good musical variety. I wanted to like it, and would go as far as saying I liked the music quite a bit, but I couldn’t get past the vocals. Not a fan of how the album was produced/mixed either - sounded very flat and sometimes even harsh with prominent high hats on some tracks that were very distracting.

3 - BAD

Got bored after a while

A couple of good songs and a couple of not so good ones

Uninteresting.

Есть интересные риффы и басовые партии, но вокальное исполнение не для меня

Blah.

2.3 Brit Hair Metal, not for me

Really liked some tracks. This is Yesterday was a standout.

I didn't like it.

Respectably good energy from these guys, but I found their style to really start to grate only a couple of songs in. Ehh. I did however enjoy their use of audio samples scattered throughout the album, and they hint at pretty interesting themes that are probably better explored in their lyrics. Standouts: Ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayit'sworldwouldfallapart • She Is Suffering • This Is Yesterday • P.C.P.

I like 7 songs by the manics and they are very good songs. None on this album. 13 tunes with no reason to be there. Fillers, knocked off to fill a contract? Who knows.

Not for me. I expected to like this more and I can see some influence it may have had on music I like, but the vocals rubbed me the wrong way.

Quite a difficult listen. Very passionate and earnest with no pop sensibility. From around the time I saw them in 1993.

Mmmmmkeeeeeeuuuuuh no… Nah

The lead singers disappearance (and presumed death) is more interesting than any of the songs on this album. But, maybe I just already have enough dark, angry music in my life.

Would sometimes give hints of Nirvana or Dead Kennedys, but was never as catchy or compelling as either of those legendary bands.

I've never rated these guys and feel like at some point I should do a deeper dive. There were some interesting tidbits here. High 2s, and a need to revisit.

anime ending energy, wtórne

Nothing really grabbed my attention. No hooks or melodies that brought me back, wanting more. It took me three days to finish the album.

Faster, Harder than a usual Manics album. Not really saying much I like the energy and do like this band but not this album.

Meh. Couldn’t get into it.

Weird album. Starts with sort-of-interesting protest rock & evolves into highly derivative 90’s power-pop. In the end, it’s boring. A 2.

Sucks ass

Just didn’t like a single song really liked but not really bad either

++: Ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthforonedayit'sworldwouldfallapart, Faster +: Of Walking Abortion, 4st 7lb, This Is Yesterday, Die in the Summertime, P.C.P. +-: Yes, She Is Suffering, Archives of Pain, Revol, The Intense Humming of Evil -: Mausoleum 4,1/10

Its been heard before, alt rock thats just too loud in all the wrong places. I get its an acquired taste but I've no interest to sit down and learn to like it.

An exhausting exercise. Not for me thanks!

This album is from a Welsh alt rock band that I never heard of. The lyrics cover many heavy topics, although I’m confused by some of the lyrics. Too bad the music is not for me, although maybe it’s good if you’re into that genre. Side note: the songwriter for the band disappeared when the album was released and was presumed deceased years later.

I found this really hard to follow and a bit of a headfuck. The vocals are mostly unintelligible and the instrumental elements are too busy. I get that it’s meant to be meaningful and not just noise but it’s not for me. My loss maybe.

Not a complete bore fest but no idea why its on 1001. I think doesnt help I also have an aversion to certain styles of "Stadium Rock" e.g. Bruce Springsteen, U2 etc I literally cant stand and then to some extent this as I just dont get it. There are interesting elements at times but for the most part its driven by vocals which is a word fest which is lost on me as I cant follow it. I only happen to know its bleak based on the description of the album. I wouldnt know otherwise so any odd connection with punk anti establishment or whatever is completely absent here to my ears in the music at least. Unfortunately not a hit for me.

5 sterren voor titel en band naam. Muziek wel echt dikke mwah. Willen punk zijn, maar hebben art school flow.

2 whiny

I liked this better before I realized that they were not a Japanese band. Why does he sing like that?

Don't get me wrong, I do like over the top theatrical rock (read; Bauhaus and Hedwig). But for some reason this just rubs me the wrong way. And that's ok.

Entirely forgettable sub-foo fighters aren't we clever rock. Never likedthem. Still the same.

Meh. Couldn’t care less

These street preachers are a little too manic for me. 2.5 stars...I'd be fine not hearing this again so I'm rounding down.

The only thing I didn’t really like was the cover art.

Reading about Richey Edwards made me quite sad before I even really started listening to the album. The album itself is not really my thing. A bit too loud.

All just a bit shouty

1 stern

Didn’t really notice that it was on. Their story is obviously tragic but even knowing that, this doesn’t draw me in at all.

Kan hier kort over zijn, gewoon echt niet zo goed

Holy lard album cover Fave track: Yes

interesting. unfortunately, i can’t understand a word they say.

Not my cup of tea

2/5

2,5 porque tiene un par de temas interesantes

Un bon band avec un chanteur intolérable. Un hot avec de la mayo.

Hey c'était un peu pas écoutable ça.

Welcome to the world of the Manic Street Preachers. There is no room here for warmth or ambiguity. Every song is a meticulously crafted manifesto written with icy moral certainty, just in case you hadn’t realised that all right wing politicians, Nazis and serial killers are BAD PEOPLE, m’kay? To sweeten the pill, the music is generally banging rock but interspersed with on the nose sound bites about concentration camps and prostitution just in case you start enjoying it too much. It’s impossible to listen to this without a profound sense of sadness. When this was recorded, guitarist Richey James was severely depressed and suffering from alcoholism, anorexia and self harm. It seems that the band were happy to put up with him starting drinking first thing in the morning as long as he wrote another song about pain and suffering. The music press also colluded with this. A notorious incident saw James cutting himself with a razor blade to prove that the band were ‘4 real’ and the response was just to write articles about how edgy the band were instead of getting the poor guy some professional help. It was not really a surprise that James disappeared after the recording, never to be seen again. Draw your own conclusions.

2.5… rounded down cause I got bored

Really struggled to get through this one, which is disappointing since I actually like Everything Must Go quite a bit.

You know, not a big fan of this one. Not memorable and the album art is... well, I'm still trying to decide what the idea was.

I find this to be quite boring mainstream rock. 2.5 stars

I'm not a huge fan of this band. There's sort of a glamminess to them that I don't quite love and the lead singer is a bit theatrical for me. There's a few good tracks here -- 4st 7lb is probably my favorite, but I had a hard time getting into a lot of it. 2.5 stars.

I like the Preacher's sound, and I have no problem with the message that accompanies the sound. After a few tracks though, this album feels like it flatlines

p742. 1994. 2 stars. Welsh U2. Generic and vaguely pretentious rock with no standout tracks. I always feel I should like MSP more than I actually do, but it seems they are one of my aural blind spots (if that's not mixing my metaphors too much). And it's bloody miserable, and goes on far too long.

Standouts She is Suffering

i find this band lightly annoying

Part of me really wants to like Manic Street Preachers more. In my last review of theirs, I was pleasantly surprised by their other album on this list. But I have to confess that this one really didn't do much for me at all. It felt a bit all over the place, a bit 80s rock ballads, a bit of grunge, a bit of Brit Pop, but also not really any of those things. I just couldn't really pin it down. It's obviously pretty dark which would normally be up my alley but yeah, I just couldn't connect here. Maybe I just need to be in the right mood but I just didn't like this one.

Some hard-hitting lyrics but musically I just couldn’t enjoy it. Even as someone who loves Wire and Gang of Four I found the total lack of harmonic resolution to be very grating.

#282/1001. Quite a bit darker and heavier sound than what I expected. But does it help? Not really especially if the album is this long. First listen just numbed me, and today I didn't need to be numb. I don't have a clue what happened to the msp after the suicidality met its destiny and I don't want to find out. No points for being the suffering artists from me.

eher zu rockig für mich

It's not that it's really bad, but it includes all the tropes that I don't like about Alternative Rock and nothing more aside. So this was a very annoying listen for me.

This was just a load of edgy, angry nonsense. Lyrics were edgy at best, gobbledegook at worst. Some decent drums and guitars at times and some of the songs had decent structure. Not sure who would enjoy this and why, all in all. Maybe it’s just not for me. 3/10

2 A cacophonous mess of sound. Not a bad thing, but never really gelled for me

Not too bad, they just need someone that can sing

Noise.

Das hat nichts mit "Weltklasse" zu tun.

Interesting listen, especially after reading about the disappearance shortly after. Still got more to do. Manic definitely isn't my style of rock but maybe I'll discover some me songs through it

hmm.. unknown

Nothing special

Estos gallos me aburren. Sí, todo muy oscuro y triste, pero dónde están las melodías?

Well…..it’s not a terrible album. They sound very much like many artists that were around in 1994. Nothing terrible and nothing spectacular. I was surprised this was a Welsh and not an American band for what it is worth. I did a deep dive on Richey Edward’s - very sad and tragic. Brings the movie Eddie and the Crusers to mind.

Nope.

Weird story to go with this album, look up the lyricist. I can't really tell the lyrics but the music sounds pretty good, especially on the beginning songs. 2.5

not good not bad

Heilt på da jevne

Meh

Richey Edwards has an interesting and sad story, which in no way helps in making this album any more palatable. The instrumentation is fine, although the sound dates itself firmly as being mid-90's with half the songs sounding like pale imitations of Nirvana's "Nevermind" from 3 years prior, but the vocals are whiny and not even kind of pleasant to listen to. 2 stars but only barely.

Not bad, just boring. I can't really understand the words either. I'm not sure if that's bad singing, poor mixing, or just the lead singer being Welsh. Just another UK band nobody on my side of the pond has ever heard of. Also, nobody wants to see that album art.

Houmous & Chutney once challenged Manic Street Preachers to an ‘album off’ - who could release the worst album intentionally. Houmous & Chutney released their famous ‘Hour of Silence’ album. To their surprise they lost to this album by the manics. 1.7 6/13 Revol

Aggressively fine

Tense, hard-edged grooves built from jagged, serrated guitars, cold bass patterns, tight martial drumming, and urgently barked vocals between fury and collapse cutting trough the performance. This alternative rock album feels like stumbling upon an apocalyptic prophecy scrawled across a cracked biblical tablet—severe, unyielding, and gripping in the stark severity of its despair.

It's the same song over and over but slightly worse as it goes on. Not that great.

Naaaja

🌟🌟 MCR if it was created by Disney

Grunge vibe

That song is not on here

Manic Street Preachers’ The Holy Bible feels strangely unmoored from its own era, pulling from ’70s arena rock swagger, ’80s post-punk angularity, traces of hair metal, and even early-2000s tension while rarely sounding like a product of the ’90s. The album’s jarring spoken-word interludes aim for provocation but mostly disrupt its momentum, adding to the sense that something essential never quite clicks. Still, there are flashes of brilliance: “Yes” comes out swinging with propulsive energy; “Archives of Pain” builds around a muscular bass-and-drum groove reminiscent of “Smooth Criminal”; and “This Is Yesterday” offers the rare moment of warmth, with James Dean Bradfield’s low-register vocal echoing shades of Freddie Mercury's lower register. Meanwhile, the brittle funk of “Ifwhiteamericatoldthetruthitsworldwouldfallapart” nods to Gang of Four, and “Revol” dives into late-’70s post-punk minimalism. Unfortunately, there's just something about this that doesn't click for me, though I can't put my finger on it.

It was just a big boring. Nothing stood out and sounded kind of the same. Dont really have mutch else tosay about the album. Feels like a filler album which is strange.

60

this seems to be a UK thing. This album didn't do it for me but I listened to some other tracks from their later (and more popular in the UK) albums that were good.

Suena como una banda sonora de una pelicula/anime. Pero a la vez se le nota como un album antiguo rockero, bueno hace el intento pero le falta algo de esencia (revol, pero me ha gustado la cancion). Poco a poco va evolucionando a un rock mas puro, pero es como que el genero o las canciones no me terminan de entrar, no lo veo iconico.

There's a reason only one track from this made it on to their best of album.

Bad boston, some back story

Yeah it was good but utterly unmemorable

Just ok

Not my cup of tea, although I did enjoy yes and faster. I'm pretty sure I didn't understand a single lyric.

It's kind of cool proto emo punk stuff, nice guitar work, not totally my thing tho 2.5

It was ok, blended together by the end. Standout song Walking abortion

ok. chill. mellow. rocky.

"Die In the Summertime" was the best song on the album. This was a rocker, to be sure. However, as good a listen that this was, there wasn't anything memorable about it.

Eh, it was okay.

It was okay. Sounds like alot of 90s albums.

shrug

Just not my favorite.

The music here is good, really good even, but the lyrics drag the album wayyyyy down. It's as if the lyrics were ripped straight out of an edgy 14 year olds notebook of "deep thoughts". Just vapid vague lines loosely strung together that sound poetic but ultimately have no depth to them. I mean, "Beauty finds refuge in herself // Lovers wrapped inside each others lies // Beauty is such a terrible thing". If that doesn't scream "I'm 14 and this is deep" I don't know what does. 4/5 for the music but 1/5 for the lyrics

Alright

MORE British music? Ugh.

The lyrics are in parts ok, but the whole package didn't do anything to me. Not my cup of tea.

It took me a few listens to come around to Manic Street Preachers, but even then, I'm not totally sold. Despite vaguely sounding like Japanese alt-rock stalwarts, The Pillows, they don't scratch the same itch. As their own thing, I'm not quite sure what to make of MSP. I like the political aspect, but I'm not sure if I like the music. That said, there are a few earworms here and there. Ugh, i dunno, 2?

The sound of this album is fairly dense and interesting. Sadly, the shrieky lead singer and edgelord lyrics turned me off.

There are a handful of 90s alt rock bands that get critical and fan love that I just don't get. Bands like Superchunk, Super Furry Animals, and, yes, Manic Street Preachers. I've tried putting my finger on what I don't get, and I think it comes down to I never, *ever* get their songs in my head. It's probably overstating it to say these songs are devoid of melody, but they just don't hook me in. And of course many of the greatest songs aren't big-riff-hit-singles, but nearly every song I love has some kind of melody or atmosphere or SOMETHING that brings me back. These feel totally flat. I've always been fascinated by comparing a band like MSP to someone like Rage Against the Machine. Those RATM songs are almost entirely built on taking one riff and thrashing it till they've milked every ounce of its value out of it, and then getting out fast. Yet somehow I find their songs hummable, re-listenable, and fully fleshed out. Maybe it's the production quality? There's no nuance in the production here at all. No atmosphere, everything kind of at the same volume. And I'm not pining for an album full of radio-friendly ear worms, but I do think on some level that's what these songs are going for. They *sound* like songs that are developing a melody, but they aren't at any point. And I'm grumpy about it because people LOVE this album and I've tried to get into it for at least 20 years and at no point have I found my way in. The lyrics are great though.

Nah I’m good

so woke😭

Angsty gen-x college rock. Nothing wrong with that, but their sound neatly fits into that box, and I doubt that’s because they carved it out for themselves.

Meh - I like English artists and have enjoyed this band, but this album didn't do anything for me.

I like Britpop and many of the 90s UK bands and while I have never listened to Manic Street Preachers, I of course enjoy this kind of music. The beginning of the album was pretty good but it started to drag on till the end and I got bored from much of the same sound it was pushing. Moved from 4 stars to 3 stars.