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100

Q Magazine

By breathing life into Richey Edwards's own last words, his friends have crafted not a memorial but a celebration. [Jun 2009, p.120]

Drowned In Sound

Overall, Journal For Plague Lovers is a strident comeback that would have been a worthy direct successor to "The Holy Bible" had circumstances been different.

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All Music Guide

Journal for Plague Lovers winds up being The Holy Bible in reverse: every moment of despair is a reason to keep on living instead of an excuse to pack it all in.

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cokemachineglow

Nobody who has ever had some semblance of an interest in this band should ignore Journal For Plague Lovers, which is simply far more awesome than anyone had a right to expect.

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Mojo

Richey Edwards has his words set to the best music his bandmates have made since their last album together. [Jun 2009, p.97]

Dot Music

This is something unique, often flawed and often flooring, and as fine and fitting a memorial for its lyricist as could be imagined.

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No Ripcord

With Journal for Plague Lovers, it feels like Manic Street Preachers have finally closed the door on a painful chapter in their career and, rather fittingly, they’ve done it with some aplomb.

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The Guardian

Forgoing the arena-rock of recent years for something close to the barbed punk of their "Holy Bible" era--though less disjointed this time, and studded with hooks you could hang a feather boa from--they've made a complex but very listenable record.

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Uncut

This is also a brave, compelling record that stands shoulder to shoulder with the Manics’ best.

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New Musical Express

Journal For Plague Lovers is an outstanding album in its own right and is not "The Holy Bible." But then again, what is?

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Observer Music Monthly

Not just a dignified salute to an absent friend, but a cracking album in its own right.

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PopMatters

So while Journal for Plague Lovers doesn’t quite match up to The Holy Bible, essentially it doesn’t need to.

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Filter

To date, this is as close to their masterpiece, The Holy Bible, as they've ever come. [Fall 2009, p.92]

Pitchfork

Even if it were the desperate or cynical move some people have claimed it is, there's no denying that purging Edwards' old lyric folder has helped the band create its best album in a decade.

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Under The Radar

Journal resurrects the hunger and desperation that was the Manics' initial driving force, and in the process gives them a sense of purpose. [Fall 2009, p.64]

Sputnikmusic

It's a shade better than Send Away The Tigers, itself heralded as a return to form, and in a year that hasn't really been anything special so far for straight-ahead rock, this is a standout.

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Hot Press

Manics mine Richey’s last words for a return to the heart of darkness.

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musicOMH.com

Disjointed, imperfect, tender and raw, at the final reckoning it sits as a fitting epitaph.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 9.1 (out of 10) based on 45 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Emili gave it a10:
Fantastic album, back to the good old days. Forget about their recent stuff.

Christopher G gave it a10:
Well, here it is. The Manics have finally created a worthy follow-up to 1994's The Holy Bible. Don't get me wrong, I love all of the Manics' recorded output, including 2001's Know Your Enemy, which was critically lambasted, as was 2004's Lifeblood, both of which are excellently crafted and highly enjoyable rock and pop records, respectively. However, their greatest achievement until now was the dark and mezmerizing 1994 masterpiece, The Holy Bible. Excellent melodies, disturbing yet poetic lyrics, and guitar virtuosity abound, making this the most memorable document of "the Richey years." Now, James, Nicky, and Sean have finally re-opened Richey's folder of lyrics after he has been gone for these 14 years. The result is the greatest album to be released this decade. All of the hallmarks of The Holy Bible are there: reversed Rs on the cover, Jenny Saville artwork, Richey's tormented lyrics, abrasive guitar riffs and fills, as well as JDB's half-shouted, half-sung vocals (yet always melodic). As I have already said, I think this album is the greatest album of the decade and an even bigger step-up from 2007's Send Away The Tigers. Bottom Line: If you are a fan of music, you need this album. Standout Tracks: Peeled Apples, Jackie Collins Existential Question Time, This Joke Sport Severed, Marlon JD, All Is Vanity, Virginia State Epileptic Colony, William's Last Words / (Bag Lady).

Avery B gave it a10:
Goosebump-inducing for devoted fans and the uninitiated alike. Richie's lyrics are both chilling and (strangely enough) life-affirming, and the band seems to be "together" again, each piece of the puzzle falling perfectly into place. With this record, the band delivers a long-overdue eulogy to Richie, while delivering an early eulogy to the first decade of the 2000s.

mark w gave it a10:
Incredibly good album from a band that should be revered as one of the most ambitious, talented and brilliant of the last 20 years.

Julia A gave it a9:
Not the kind of album you'd be hooked on by first spin, but then again,good things do come with long process,same thing applied in comprehending this album.

Jim S gave it a10:
Stands with "The Holy Bible" and "Everything Must Go" as a sort of trilogy about Richey James' disappearance and the emotional toll it took on the band. This is a triumph and best album I've heard this year.

Ste F gave it a10:
I had forgotten how much I missed Richey. This is a strangely beautiful album.

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