Artist Bio
Manzana means an apple. It can be delicious, fresh and nutritious, but it can also be forbidden,poisonous, raw...depends from wich side are you biting it...
Manzana is a pop-metal band from Tampere, Finland. The band is tightly connected to the Tampere rock scene; their drummer Heikki also plays in one of the big Finnish metal bands, Diablo, and their first bassist Mr. Willy was a member of the million selling Bombfunk MC´s. Mr Willy is also a well known DJ in Finland , and tours DJ´n in many countries. Henkka, the guitarrist, has been a live mixer of Diablo and Negative, and Piritta has been singing in alternative rock bands and doing lyrics and backgrounds for other bands too. The four of them have known each other since young age, and feed musically from the 90´s grunge-alt-metal heritage. They make music that is dramatic,elastic, melodic and strong. " We dream of being tough and soft at the same time" , says Henkka, the guitarrist. " Like letting people real close, before the punch! ", accompanies the lead singer Piritta.The band came to life in the summer 2003, by Henkka, Heikki and Piritta. Ville joined the band a year later. They played a bunch of gigs to test themselves, and released a promo EP in the summer 2005. Feedback was very good, and some labels were interested in signing them, but they didn’t get a good enough deal with anyone. They decided to release the album with their own TRC-Records label ( = Tampere Rock City - Records )They stayed very organic that way ;making most of their stuff together in the good old basement.
“Falling to Pieces” was released in November 6 th 2006, and due to a lot of live gigs, it hit the charts number 3 and 2. The Album “Nothing As Whole As A Broken Heart” came out on January 31st. 2007 and went on chart number 24. They also released a video for “Falling To Pieces” in February, and it went into Kids Top 20 video chart number 13 . The album was well and widely reviewed in the media, and “Falling To Pieces “ got into playlist of Radio Rock, and " Cripple Heart " also got airplay in Finnish radios and TV.
The band has a reputation of intensive and groovy live performer, and they have a heavy live sound for a pop-metal band. The band visited several TV Shows after the album release, including MTV ´s Headbangers Ball. The band toured a lot in Finland in the spring 2007, and they toured also Germany and Switzerland with Lovex in November 2007. European tour was a great success, most places were full, and the crowd was screaming and jumping in a way the band would never have expected. An active internet promotion through myspace connections has brought 60 0000 visitors to their pages and tens of interviews and netradio airings around the world. Nothing As Whole As A Broken Heart was released till the end of the year in all Asia except Japan, and all Gas area and Turkey and Italy by distributor, Playground Music International. John Cloud of the Playground ( the man behind Rasmus ect. ) took care of their international licences on 2007.
January 2008 , the band is recording their next album wich will be out in august 2008. First new single End Of The World will be out in Ferbuary, and they´re shooting a video for it in February too.
The band has a new bass player, Klasu Wirzenius now, and their live action has got even more punky with his groovy and jumping style. With Pirittas huge energy flowing and Klasu bouncing around,it looks like it really takes Henkkas and Heikkis heavy metal hand to keep those two down on the surface of earth! Manzana is about passion, and they´ve got it burnign bright. Musically they make you remember bands like Faith No More and Him, with some Skunk Anansie and Guano Apes on the top. So if any of those ring your bells, have a bite!
www.myspace.com/manzanaband / www.manzana.fi
MEMBERS:
Piritta Lumous : Vocals,Lyrics
Henkka Virsell :Guitars, Synths, Music
Heikki Malmberg :Drums
Klasu Wirzenius :Bass, backing vocals
" Manzana - Nothing As Whole As A Broken Heart
If there is such a thing as complete heavy pop music, Manzana is it. I am not talking the cheap bullshit, I am talking prime cut. The production isn't skimpy and smooth, it's ripping and full. The song structures are just fantastic. Through the slamming rhythm guitars, the vocalizations of the arrangements soar, melody lines singing through the cosmos. The band doesn't do many solos, it pretty much is a straight blast along a hot rail of riff, simple, effective, rock n roll. Songs like "Call" pass the band into the gothic, almost industrial, but that hard rock big beat still is lined like a missile trajectory. Lots of recordings obtain that in the digital age, compression masters of the void, Manzana has that covered, plus alot more in the overall talents of the band, their excellent songwriting, and overall creativity. They branch out a bit as the record goes on, but that overall big riff, big vocal, big bottom vibes kicks through every song on this album. Piritta, remember that name, her finnish mastery of the anglish language is a key element. Album of the year."
This review will appear in Issue 40 of The Underground Sound, US
