Manigance may just be the best band the French metal scene ever brought forth. They play the kind of power/prog that was only properly made in the late nineties and early 2000’s. The kind of power metal that’s as close to progressive metal as it gets without actually being prog. Manigance hardly – if ever – uses any odd meters, and their focus is consistently on melodies rather than virtuosity, but their arrangements and their use of keyboards is not too dissimilar from what a band like Symphony X would do. The music is bombastic and adventurous, but never too dense.

There is an incentive for Manigance to leave space within their music, though. Didier Delsaux is one of the most talented singers I have ever heard. His singing sounds effortless, but still immensely powerful. His voice is very clean, with just a slight edge to add some character. Sadly, he left the band seven years ago. His replacement Carine Pinto doesn’t impress me as much, but I want to give her the benefit of the doubt. Much of her debut with Manigance sounds as if it wasn’t written for her register, and this year’s ‘L’Âme de Fond’ is full of re-recordings.

If you are looking for excellent melodic metal, you can’t really go wrong with any Manigance record, even the lower-ranking ones. They have built up a discography of a consistently high quality over the last three decades. But while none of their albums is less than enjoyable, there was one clear entry for me that deserves to be in last place of this album ranking.

8. Le Bal des Ombres (2022)

Poor Carine Pinto. Not only does she have to to take on the thankless task of replacing Didier Delsaux, she also has to do so with the worst collection of songs Manigance has written so far. ‘Le Bal des Ombres’ isn’t even a bad album, it just feels like it could have been made by any European melodic metal band. There were indications of that on the previous two albums, but the crunchy riff work and the vocals always made it sound like Manigance. On ‘Le Bal des Ombres’, François Merle’s guitars take a back seat to the bombast until the last few songs, which are generally the better ones. Pinto, while no Delsaux, deserved better, though she does have a tendency to overenunciate in a way fairly typical of French-speaking singers.

Recommented tracks: ‘Eternité’, ‘Envers et Contre Tout’, ‘De Vos Outrances’

7. Machine Nation (2018)

It takes a while for ‘Machine Nation’ to get going. And then when it does, there are a few too many samey choruses that feel like Manigance going through the motions. The album genuinely feels like the type of album following a request of a record label to release something, so they could have something to promote for the tour. Having said that, it does pick up around the time the semi-title track ‘Machination’ comes around. The riffs often feel a little tired, though, despite them ostensibly containing all the requirements for a good Manigance riff. Interestingly, Delsaux duets with Pinto on the somewhat underwhelming opening track ‘Face Contre Terre’. All in all, ‘Machine Nation’ feels like a weaker version of what the band did on ‘Volte-Face’.

Recommended tracks: ‘Indifférent’, ‘Machination’, ‘L’Un de l’Autre’

6. Ange ou Démon (2002)

Five long years after their promising debut EP, Manigance finally delivered their impressive debut album ‘Ange ou Démon’. It doesn’t quite hit me as hard as some of the albums that would follow, but if this is your first exposure to Manigance, it’s understandable if you are impressed. There is some fantastic songwriting here, and Delsaux is already in top form. What does make me enjoy ‘Ange ou Démon’ less than some of the later albums is that there is a stronger focus on Florent Taillandier’s keyboards than usual, which gives some songs slightly too much of an AOR vibe. The album also could have used a bit more variation in the tempo department. There is a lot to enjoy on this first full-length, though.

Recommended tracks: ‘Ange ou Démon’, ‘En Mon Nom’, ‘Dès Mon Retour’

5. Signe de Vie (1997)

Okay, ‘Signe de Vie’ is an EP – though a fairly long one at 31 minutes – and I don’t want to make a habit out of including those, but this one is important. It came out a whopping five years before Manigance’s actual debut album, and though all the trademarks of their later sound are there, it sounds quite a bit different. It starts out with two powerful tracks that could have been on their full-lengths, and the relatively proggy closer ‘Rouge Comme la Peau’ is a precursor to later work, but there is quite a lot of residual AOR on ‘Signe de Vie’. The fact that it’s arranged tighter than ‘Ange ou Démon’ elevates it above an interesting historical artefact.

Recommended tracks: ‘Sans Fard’, ‘Rouge Comme la Peau’, ‘Signe de Vie’

4. Volte-Face (2014)

‘Volte-Face’ came out slightly too late in Manigance’s lifespan to be seen as one of their classics, but it really should. There is nothing particularly special about the album, it’s just Manigance doing what they do best. The songwriting is slightly tighter and more concise than it was on its two predecessors, but that actually works in the album’s advance. At its core, ‘Volte-Face’ is a collection of great songs performed with the spritely energy that its follow-up is so sorely lacking. Its tempos vary enough to stay interesting without hurting the core Manigance sound. It does run out of steam a little bit towards the end, but up until that point, you will have had a nice sample of what it is that makes Manigance so good.

Recommended tracks: ‘Apparence’, ‘Ultime Atome’, ‘Sans Relâche’

3. Récidive (2010)

‘Récidive’ is an album I am in two minds about. Its highlights are incredible, and it really blasts off with some of the best songs Manigance has ever recorded. Those songs have some of the most pulsating riffs that François Merle and Bruno Ramos ever fired out of their guitars. On the other hand, ‘Recidive’ is also much too damn long. The back of the inlay says it’s 65 minutes long, but it’s actually closer to seventy. As a result, the songs in the middle tend to really blend together, with only the power metal feast ‘Récidiviste’ and its more damatic follow-up ‘Illusion’ being stand-outs. There is a wealth of power metal to enjoy on ‘Récidive’, though it could have been a much better album if it was fifteen minutes shorter.

Recommended tracks: ‘Dernier Allié’, ‘Délivrance’, ‘Larme de l’Univers’

2. L’Ombre et la Lumière (2006)

While ‘L’Ombre et la Lumière’ is nearly as long as ‘Récidive’, it better justifies its length by being extremely dynamic. This is the most traditionally progressive Manigance album. Not that it dazzles listeners with odd meters and rapid shifts, but it is the band’s most adventurous album. Though the songs remain accessible and built around melodies, they go through more changes than usual, especially dynamically. Also, this is my favorite performance by Florent Taillandier. His sound choices are interesting, and the way his keyboard parts are woven into the guitars of François Merle and Bruno Ramos brings out the best in everyone involved. ‘L’Ombre et la Lumière’ really takes listeners on a cinematic adventure, and it doesn’t sacrifice its thick, metallic bottom-end in the process. Also, there isn’t a weak song in sight. Essential for power/prog fans.

Recommended tracks: ‘L’Ombre et la Lumière’, ‘Esclave’, ‘Prédateur’

1. D’Un Autre Sang (2004)

‘D’Un Autre Sang’ is quite frankly the best European power/prog release of its era. It leans quite heavily toward the power metal side of Manigance’s sound, as it is easily the most focused on catchy songwriting out of all of their albums, though there is enough instrumental density to justify the prog moniker. What might also make it feel more power metal is the fact that the average tempo on ‘D’Un Autre Sang’ is relatively high. It’s still a highly varied album with tons of choruses that will refuse to leave your head, presumably even if you don’t speak French. Even when the band does go a little more progressive – closing track ‘Enfin Délivré’ is the most obvious example – the songwriting is nothing short of stellar, while Delsaux unsurprisingly delivers the performance of a lifetime.

Recommended tracks: ‘Empire Virtuel’, ‘Héritier’, ‘Enfin Délivré’