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Brilliant, unbelievable Progressive Power Metal performed with French language lyrics, I could technically end the review right here with that brief description and just encourage everyone who craves an album loaded with one killer track after another to simply whip out their wallets and buy this jewel sight unseen! Trust me you will not be disappointed. With that being said if your finances allow, the same can be said relative to the entire Manigance catalog. Clearly, the only thing holding these guys back from immense popularity is the fact that the vocals are sung in their native French, which is a pity because what some people may view as an obstacle is in this case a strength.

Let's begin with the stunning vocals of Didier Delsaux. The guy is simply amazing, combining both a melodic yet powerful performance that ranks him among the upper echelon of singers within the genre. The choruses are literally out of this world and the guitar work is impressive as hell, delivering slab upon slab of powerful razor-sharp riffs in combination with killer jaw-dropping solos that are as skillfully executed as any that I have heard in a long while. The keyboard work strives to not overpower the music, but rather add to the overall heaviness of the band's sound. The songs themselves gallop along at a relatively fast pace, while the production is top notch. I debated in my mind giving this a perfect score and finally concluded why not? It's worthy!

A fair comparison would be to inquire as to how Manigance stacks up to their fellow countrymen Heavenly; in my humble opinion they are superior. First and foremost their compositions, not only on this release but throughout their entire catalog spanning four full-lengths and one EP are much, much more diverse and consistent. Speaking of Heavenly, may I digress a moment? What the hell happened on that last wretched pile of Queen-worship nonsense? Enough said!

Let's sum things up by saying this is an awesome album packed full with emotion-ridden performances. Do not narrow mindedly permit the French sung lyrics to hold you back from experiencing the grandeur of Ange ou démon, this is pure ear candy for all you Progressive and Power Metal freaks out there. A must buy!