Single Review: Dark Awake – Manipulació for #METALMOMENTUM

Band: Dark Awake
Title: Manipulació
Label: independent
Release date: August 5th, 2025
Country: Spain
Format reviewed: High-Quality Digital Recording

Single Review: Dark Awake – Manipulació for #METALMOMENTUM by Sílvia

The new single by Dark Awake, a one man band from Spain, is a short theme fueled by a high level of energy, and biting lyrics against manipulation of society by those who have the power and the money. It’s a cry of rebellion, a call to action, very appropriate for these times we are living.

“Manipulació” (“Manipulation” in English) opens with guitars playing some infectious tunes along with drums that are beaten in a very intense way, setting the pace between restrained fury and an “I have enough of all this” attitude. The bass is noticeable and it remarks the depth of the sound, the low notes are a big contrast with the dynamics by the guitar. The vocal style is raspy, distilling aggression, and it goes on with its anti-system speech, trying to stir up awareness about the control of the masses by the big corporations and the urge to say “stop” to this manipulation. Also, this is the first song by Dark Awake that’s sung in Catalan.

This could be a good anthem today, for anyone who’s listening to what Gerard Viladomat has to say. He’s the only member in Dark Awake, and besides composing, playing all the instruments and doing the vocals, he also does the mix and mastering… a huge work for the love of music. Gerard is the only member in the band nowadays, after their split up in 2009, and he brought it back to life two years after, all alone. The album “Reborn” saw the light in November 2024, and now in August 2025 this new single has been released.

For me, no matter how worldwide known a musician can be, or how many copies of their albums are selling. What really matters to me is the passion and the effort, and the work well done. And with “Manipulació” I see all this reflected here, which is admirable.

With a mix between Thrash and Heavy Metal, this new single has an electric pace, being the guitar the standing out instrument, and drums leading you with forceful beats from start to finish. This is a very good song by Dark Awake, and it holds power and some kind of primitive aggression, specially in the vocals. 8/10

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8/10 To Greatness and Glory!
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