New Music Review: MANAPART ‘Red’

Rating: 9 / 10 Stars

MANAPART is: Artem Popov (vocals), Ivan Yakushin (bass), Arman Babaian (guitar), Zakhariy Zurabian (drums)

REVIEW – Blazing out of Armenia’s underground with red-hot precision and bone-deep conviction, MANAPART returns with their most expansive and emotionally charged work to date. “Red”, the band’s second full-length release, drops on June 21st via Touch Music, and it’s a sonic war cry cloaked in flame—a record that doesn’t just speak, it shouts from the soul.

From the very first note of the title track “Red”, MANAPART makes their intent clear: this is a deeply human album born from chaos, resilience, and reflection. Drawing from the textures of System of a Down, Scars on Broadway, and the rhythmic mayhem of Slipknot and Korn, the band channels these influences through their own distinctly Armenian lens. The result is a monolithic fusion of nu metal and alternative metal that’s fiercely global in its relevance and unmistakably rooted in local pain and pride.

At just 27 minutes across nine tracks, “Red” wastes no time. Every song is a statement, each one unique yet thematically connected through a single thread: what it means to endure. From political manipulation to internal collapse, MANAPART wields both sonic brutality and melodic nuance to cut into the modern condition with precision.

“Bull’s Eye”, the album’s blistering May 2024 single, targets psychological warfare and societal fear with a venomous hook and juggernaut riffage. Meanwhile, the hypnotic churn of “Television” serves as an indictment of distorted reality—a two-minute spiral of confusion and digital chaos. Tracks like “Jupiter” and “Anima” dive deeper into emotional underworlds, where loss, longing, and fractured hope are sung not as laments but as challenges to overcome.

Perhaps the boldest moment arrives with “Roombaya”, a track originally released in late 2023. A triumphant swirl of shamanic rhythm, ethnic instrumentation, and primal groove, it pulses like an ancestral memory reawakened. And then there’s “Sound of the R”, a haunting 41-second interlude that feels more like a philosophical pause—where silence becomes scream.

With “Red,” MANAPART delivers not just a record but a rebirth. The album is an evolution from their 2020 debut and the dystopian triptych of their 2084 EP. The ghosts of “Yerani”, “Tomorrow” (a peace statement with Syrian-Armenian artist Kevork Mourad), and “Misery” (feat. Tardigrade Inferno) all echo here—but this time louder, sharper, and with a fiery clarity.

The band—Artem Popov (vocals), Arman Babaian (guitar), Zakhariy Zurabian (drums), and Ivan Yakushin (bass)—has become a storm no border can contain. With over a million streams, sold-out shows across Armenia and Russia, and festival invitations from Europe to Latin America, they’re no longer just rising—they’ve arrived.

“Red” is a cathartic declaration, a call to confront the fire within and without. It’s not just music. It’s a movement.