With or without knowing that slumber would be upon them, the Extreme Progressive Metal preachers of ACID DEATH moved forward on their way to become one of the most creative names in their area. Following their challenging debut "Pieces Of Mankind", the Greek innovators delivered another musical robustness in the image of their sophomore, "Random's Manifest", originally released via Black Lotus Records. Continuing the string of the band's past legacy, Corpo Records reissued the sophomore, portraying a darker side within the ranks, a year before they would lay down their instruments, at least under the ACID DEATH moniker. Gladly they also added an unreleased Demo track that never saw the light of day until now.

With the usual comparisons made between the second and first album, it is bound to happen as well here. It is noticed that Savvas Betinis and crew attempted to take a stand outside the DEATH influence and in the process made their image harsher. I guess that is pretty logical considering the notion that they probably wanted to ascertain their own thing. Within "Random's Manifest" I believe that they managed to do so, especially with further assorting their songwriting but also preserving their ability to keep a song flowing. It is true that there are those playing and sound signatures that may recall of the American juggernaut, yet there are more various shifts towards hard edge Jazz emblazoned with constructive extremity molded with cracking Thrash Metal. Furthermore, and I am glad that this particular quality sustained and even enhanced, the band maintained their melodic touch, applying melodic riffs and a few harmonies, and several distinctive soloing highlights.

The instrumental "Misery Colored Yellow-Black" took me off guard there, leaving me speechless that I had to come across it again. Such a piece of Progressive Metal brilliance, which isn't merely technical aspects, is somewhat rare, especially if you made a contrast to complexities of the present. "In Sorrow" displayed the guest appearance of the clean vocalist, Leonidas Hatzimichalis, which along with the band's high rated musical expertise, became a pillar of admiration. The "Random's Manifest" saga of three parts, surely is an oddity that is not easy to bound by words. It portrays the various multiplexed worlds in which the band existed, and probably still does to date. One of the chapters has elements that might even take you towards DREAM THEATER or mere psychedelia. Others worth mentioning and paying attention to: "Sense of Annihilation", "I Walk By The Moonlight" (should have been released as an official track somewhere), "Psycho Love", "Curse of Flesh" and "Future Deadlock".

Such as the debut, "Random's Manifest" is a good technical crusher, a classic extreme Metal album, adhering a band that should have been in the same line as other giants of the same field. In 2011, ACID DEATH returned to full activity, still holding tight to the heritage they created for themselves.