Melodic metalcore quintet Wage War is back with their fourth album but, even though “Relapse” is an absolute monster of an opener there is just something that niggles about Manic that makes it a frustrating listen. Don’t get me wrong, there are some absolutely banging tracks throughout the album, but my real peeve is that nowadays much-favoured use of processed clean vocals and pristine electro-rock that takes the sheen off the whole thing. It’s a pity because when the metalcore band let rip, as they have done on all three albums prior to Manic, they’ve proved themselves to be a force to be reckoned with. The problem comes when they interject their sound with that electro, almost pop effect whether it be on the vocals or the breakdowns, as they do on the title track causing any momentum th...