EPK – Manuel Barbara – Whisper in a Storm (2024)
Publicist – Jon Asher – jon[@]ashermediarelations[.]com
“I believe that these four tracks are hands-down the best music I have made so far. I think people will really feel that this music has come into its own, and I am excited to move further in this direction in the future. I want this EP to be a heavy, slamming journey to four very distinct musical places, featuring some of my favorite musicians.” – Manuel Barbara
For fans of Monuments, Tesseract, Periphery, Meshuggah, Keith Merrow
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“a spectacular showcase of the progressive qualities of Manuel Barbará.” – Games, Brains and A Headbanging Life
“This is an astounding first record. Especially for a single composer. If you are a fan of atmospheric instrumental metal, give it a shot. I give the album a solid 8/10. Manuel is already looking forward to the future with new compositions which are even more refined and elaborate. I’m looking forward to it with great anticipation.” – Belgian Metal Shredder
“I really enjoyed my time with this album. I’m a big fan of djenty riffs, dissonant tones and atmosphere which this album provided aplenty. The record shows that Manuel is a master craftsman in composition. The album clocks in at about 35 minutes. In this case that’s a plus. It doesn’t overstay its welcome and makes the tracks stand out more. The album is instrumental, which could be a turnoff for some people. But to me it benefits from it. It’s more of a listening album than an all-out headbang/rocking out record.” – Belgian Metal Shredder
“without a doubt that we have a talented musician and composer in front of us. The approach is in large parts of the material progressive metal with the corresponding hardness and complexity… You can’t deny the band’s instrumental quality…” – Metal-Heads.de
“Manuel Barbará shines bright on Moonrise… this is a fascinating listen and it is easy to appreciate Manuelâs complex musical narrative… this deserves a listen as it does embody the prog metal ideal and as such, itâs a damn good album: think Tesseract or Periphery.” – RAMzine
“Barbará has rejuvenated the instrumental metal genre, boldly handling what is often perceived as a deficit of vocals and composing with refinement and a brilliantly malicious sense of melody and groove.” – Jace Media
âItâs unbelievable that Moonrise is the debut of a musical high-flyer. Manuel Barbará releases an unbelievably mature masterpiece, which not only pays homage to its role models Dream Theater, Keith Merrow, or Periphery, but also presents crisp, progressive Djent Metal at eye level, which despite its perfection and precision still offers room for improvement. My recommendation with 8.5 / 10â – Soundmagnet
âInviting the listener in with some mystical soundscapes, the tempo and mood change immediately when the trio start firing on all cylinders with a dent-driven, pushing rhythmic sound alongside Manuelâs epic and virtuosic guitar work. The overall sound is dark and mighty, but every now and then gets brightened by some gleaming tones. The use of electronic sounds add a modern vibe as well and he skillfully alternates between full-power, highly technical, and calmer, atmospheric parts, before taking us to the gigantic ending riff.â – Tuonela Magazine
Release Date: September 13, 2024
Label: Self-Published
Distribution: Distrokid
1. Dead Hand (feat. Jody Miller) â 5:43
2. A Different Horizon (feat. Jake Howsam Lowe) â 5:49
3. Aphelion (feat. Michael Nystrom Bala) â 4:13
4. Whisper in a Storm (feat. Thalia Tymowski & Millisa Henderson) â 4:51
5. Whisper in a Storm (instrumental) â 4:51
EP Length: 24:42
EP artwork by Jason Grossman
Since Whisper in a Storm is about Blade Runner, I thought having some origami on the cover would be appropriate. I was considering just making it an origami unicorn, but I ended up settling on the eye.
About the EP as a whole (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY)
This EP is designed to be a strange, adventurous, expertly crafted punch to the face with just enough spacey ambiance to make it punch even harder and just enough big synths to make it feel like you might be stabbed with a katana under a neon sign.
Track by Track (LYRICALLY & MUSICALLY)
Dead Hand was the first of the four songs to come together. Heavily inspired by Monuments, it mainly features a big heavy riff that keeps returning with slightly different feels and that gives me an image of a big snake that you definitely donât want to get in the way of. That riff gives way to all kinds of spacey ambiance and twisty strangeness. The ending riff is one of the heaviest and weirdest things Iâve ever written, and Jodyâs scary violin textures tie the whole experience together.
A Different Horizon kicks off with an off-kilter riff in 3s that sets the tone for the rest of the song. Thereâs always something making you anticipate the next section. Jakeâs brilliant solo is bookended by a massive melodic riff and the whole piece ends with a section that the bass player in Necronomicon ex Mortis described as âwhat in the Dark Souls haunted cathedral is this?â
Aphelion – Â The original idea for this song was âWhat if I took a straightforward unga-bunga riff and made it weirder and weirder every time it happensâ. The big stompy intro with slightly alien harmony goes through a process of transformation and fragmentation until it comes back to its original form and immediately falls apart again. The two solos, by myself and Mike, contrast one another very nicely.
Whisper in a Storm is the most âtraditionalâ of the four songs with what is mostly a typical verse-chorus sort of structure. It still features odd expanding and contracting rhythms and huge stacks of guitars with Thaliaâs powerful voice tying the whole thing together. The final bridge gives way to two melodic guitar solos and a final, crushing riff.
2. I regularly find myself in the odd position of being metal teacher while being not abstract enough for classical teachers
3. I learned to play guitar on a 7-string. 6-strings feel like toys whenever I pick one up.
4. I feel like my music is a constant attempt to surprise myself with something. The trouble is, once I write it, it stops being surprising.
5. I played a show in Long Island a few months ago. It took 4 hours to get to the venue and I was 45 minutes late to my start time. My panic quickly disappeared when the other bands turned out to be an hour late to theirs.
Manuel Barbará is a metal guitarist and composer from the East Coast of the United States who combines the aggression and technical mastery of heavy metal with formal and harmonic concepts learned from the great composers of the 19th and 20th century. Trained at Berklee College of Music (2020, Guitar and Composition), Manuel brings his love of modern âclassicalâ music and composition to bear on the progressive rock that has always inspired him. His compositions, whether for metal band or chamber ensemble, aim to unify these two disparate spheres of music.
His guitar playing is precise and disciplined and his compositions are carefully constructed pieces, full of ambiance and color. Talking about his music, Barbará says: âThe purpose of music for me, after all the craft and technique and study are done, is to draw the listeners in and allow them to experience totally new worlds. The details of those worlds will be up to each individual personâ.
His debut album “Moonrise” was released in March 2021 and returns in 2024 with his follow-up EP “Whisper In The Storm” out on September 13th.
Discography:
2024 – Whisper In The Storm – EP
2022 – Clockwork Soul (single)
2021 – Moonrise â 2021 – LP
Shared Stage:
Manuel Barbara also plays in bands:
– Necronomicon Ex Mortis
– Apocalyptic Sandwich of Doom (unreleased)
Opened for: Absurd Condition, Chris Cyanid, Jackpipe, Share the Burden, Feast Your Eyes, Sadha, The Shape it Takes, Eradicate, Krimson Mask, Hellswind
