Review Summary: This is not the End-- but certainly not the beginning
The once popular rap rock genre may be dead, but Manafest is still pumping out records every few years. In 2019, Manifest delivered his ninth (technically speaking, tenth) studio album, This is not the End. And, well, it’s not, but it is certainly not the beginning, as it claims.
The album arrives immediately with its title track, and it’s promising. Manafest always seems to deliver a catchy and promising title track. However, this song seems to fade away as you listen to what else the album has to offer.
Unfortunately the record doesn’t have much rock to offer. Songs like Insomnia, All Time High, and Wake Me Up try to achieve mainstream appeal. They have the modern trap beats and the echoed vocals. But a Christian artist can’t do that by fitting in, so those three songs go by as simply bad songs. And since the album is only a short ten set of songs, this is very crucial.
When it comes to actual rock songs, we have the unmemorable title track, Grenades, and Kamikaze. These are the only songs that deliver actual guitar riffs, even if they are not enjoyable. And while Kamikaze is quite good, it’s not enough to hold a supposedly rock album together.
The two ballads, Plan for Me and Come Back Home, are actually amazing, however. Come Back Home is a beautiful song featuring Trevor McNevan. And Plan for Me is the best on the album. Inspired by the movies Unplanned and Hush, Manafest delivers a hard hitting song about abortion. It involves a ‘conversation’ between an aborted child and their parents. In verse one, the parents speak (D-d-dear son or daughter, I know we never met/ I never saw your first breath or take your first step/ I was so young, me and ya mom, we got along but we just weren't ready, regrets, there's been many/ Heavy on my shoulders, you'd be five this October/ But it just gets colder every year I don't know ya…), and then in the second verse, the child speaks (...If born, I woulda changed the world/ If born, I'da been your baby girl/ If born, you woulda seen me twirl/ Brown eyes and golden curls/ And guess what? I still love you/ Let it go, I still love you) It is truly a hard hitting song and a masterpiece.
And for the other songs, there is the short anthem Born for This, and the closer I Made It. The purpose of Born for This is to transition between the two ballads, and I Made It is basically saying yay, you made it through the album. Both of these songs are easily forgettable.
And that just about rounds up the album. More modern trap beats, less guitar riffs, but, on the plus side, way better ballads. And that concludes this review for Manafest - This is not the End.
Recommended tracks:
Kamikaze
Plan for Me
Come Back Home
