Danish doom metallers Manali release self-titled debut album today on Vinyltroll Records and Virkelighedsfjern; release shows announced!
Kolding, Denmark based doom/sludge metal band Manali stream their self-titled debut album, which just dropped this Friday, April 17th, 2026 via Vinyltroll Records and Virkelighedsfjern.
Listen to »Manali« on all major streaming platforms!
Tracklist:
01. In This Body
02. Sinful
03. Mary
Courtesy of Audible Music:
Today, Danish doom/sludge metallers Manali release their self-titled debut album via Vinyltroll Records and Virkelighedsfjern. The album release will be celebrated with a release show in Manali’s hometown Kolding tomorrow, April 18th alongside Solens Folk and Slowjoint, followed by a show in Aarhus on April 25th.
»Manali« is released on vinyl in two limited editions of 50 orange & green swirl copies and 100 black copies as well as digital formats, and the vinyl editions are available via Vinyltroll HERE and Virkelighedsfjern HERE.
Manali live 2026
18.04.26 – Kolding, Riberdyb10 (DK) w. Solens Folk & Slowjoint
25.04.26 – Aarhus, Rosenkrantzgade (DK) w. Svækling & Præfix Suffix
Manali is an atmospheric and droning doom/sludge metal quartet from Slicetown, aka Kolding, Denmark. The band has existed since 2020 and was originally formed as an instrumental trio, who released the two demos »Rehersal Tapes Vol.I« and »Rehersal Tapes Vol.II« in close succession in 2021–22. The expression gradually changed as a new drummer, synth, and vocals were added. This development marked a clear shift and shaped the band’s current more simple, direct, and uncompromising expression, as first heard on »Rehearsal Promo MMXXIV« released on cassette in 2024 and followed by a string of Danish shows.
Photo by Thomas Peber Sørensen
Manali has now completed their self-titled debut album, where, drawing inspiration from bands such as Gaia and Yob, they have found a balance in which the primitive and caveman-like meets cathartic and emotional outbursts. Manali’s debut record was recorded live in an old warehouse in the summer of 2025, and this is clearly audible in the recordings: the music is presented raw and unpolished, with small variations in the riffs and passages that the listener moves through. The music keeps you firmly rooted in the ground in a rocking, repetitive motion—a moment that builds until it becomes so raw and intense that it collapses into a release of powerlessness and ecstasy.
Thematically, Manali revolves around contrasts, conflicts, and encounters with society’s norms and the expectations of others—the feeling of being unable to find one’s place, of being uncomfortable, deselected, and experiencing feelings of misanthropic numbness and shame. The conflicts and contrasts are visually reflected on the vinyl, where illustrations painted by Steven Plato show both the light and the dark side of the same scenario. Some will be drawn to the darkness, others to the light – both sides exist in parallel.
With the release of their debut album, Manali marks its right to exist through a heavy, distorted soundscape that slowly envelops the listener, and lyrics that deal with dualism as a human condition and a circumstance that most people can recognize.
Manali is:
Mikkel Hansen – Guitar
Sammy Jagdev – Bass
Pætter Wollesen – Synth, Vocals
Tommy Skouboe – Drums
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well