Late to the party with this album and it's not one l ever see get a mention which might account for it passing me by. I know in the early 00s they were releasing more experimental stuff as was the rage among former Norwegian BM bands around then (Ulver, Fleurety, DHG) but they never captured my imagination and l allowed them to slip past me.
This album, though, is really good. I'm on a huge Norwegian BM buzz the past couple of years and this is as good as anything from that era. It's really fucking dark and, as with the best stuff from then, it has the right mixture of harsh traditionalism (trueness) and individual creativity.
The vocals are putrid, the guitars are noisy and the drumming is barbaric, but behind all that, adding colour, texture and depth are brilliant layers of keyboard, piano and bass.
Luckily most of this stuff is kept in circulation so l managed to order an LP from Hammerheart today. Looking forward to seeing that garish artwork in the flesh :laugh:
Yes same as that I've been rediscovering many of the Norwegian BM bands from the 90s that were just outside the heralded top tier or just let pass me by for one reason or another. And Manes early stuff is indeed class. Crazy to think how fertile that scene was for a few years.
I think it's fascinating how one person, namely Euronymous, held such sway over that entire movement. Whatever about his politics or any other aspects of his character that may be up for discussion, he was a man of great vision musically speaking. I love how he, and thus the wider Norwegian BM scene, put an onus on originality. He laid out a blueprint but demanded that bands made it their own. From reading interviews of bands who were operating at the time it sounds like a fucking wild atmosphere with death threats issued to bands who weren't real or true. Obviously most of that was teenage hard-man bullshit but it resulted in bands digging their heels in and making some mighty musical statements.
There's a Manes split 7" that came out in the early 90s and it's with... Manes! Another Manes, also from Norway, who later became Ved Buens Ende. Confusing! I'll have to see if l can hear it as a quick look on YouTube was unfruitful last night, but I'm guessing it's out there somewhere.
Edit: it was actually released by Kyrck in 2009, despite being recordings from the 90s, and it was released as a 12".
I suspect I have a copy of that 12".Pretty sure that and the Striid one came out at the same time and I picked them up
Gotta grab that Strid, too.
If I still have them I'll be discogsing them.
If you're getting rid of it give me a shout.
The Manes LP landed today and it sounds great. The artwork is a bit blurry looking. I'm assuming that as it was originally also released by Hammerheart that the original was blurry as well? Very minimal layout, which is slightly disappointing as an interview or some photos from the era might have been a nice addition but ultimately it's the music that matters, and the music is hitting the spot.
On a related note, I listened to Fleurety's 'A Darker Shade of Evil' EP today. Fuck me, those vocals are mental. I've heard a few bands with shrill hysterical vocals over the years (Silencer!), but this is another step into screechiness. Makes Dani Filth sound like Pete Steele :laugh:
Must try to get a hold of the early Fleurety stuff in one shape or another as I'm really getting into 'Min Tid Skall Komme' these days.
Also, regarding the Manes/ Manes (Ved Buens Ende) split, I ordered the 'Those Who Caress the Pale' CD from Kyrck and it has their side of that split included.
:abbath:
Quote from: Eoin McLove on October 22, 2019, 07:45:33 PM
On a related note, I listened to Fleurety's 'A Darker Shade of Evil' EP today. Fuck me, those vocals are mental. I've heard a few bands with shrill hysterical vocals over the years (Silencer!), but this is another step into screechiness. Makes Dani Filth sound like Pete Steele :laugh:
:abbath:
Like yourself I've been checking out some of the bands I missed the first time around and gave Helheim- Jormungand a spin and almost turned it off during the first song. Those vocals are pretty much a dealbreaker for me in general but I stuck it out and it was actually a pretty decent record.
I haven't listened to Helheim but they are on my radar. I'll check them out this evening but generally I'm the same, annoying vocals can be a turn off so we'll see what happens.
I would recommend the Manes compilation Svarte Skoger. It's the first thee demos. All class apart from some iffy programmed sounding drums here and there. Overall atmosphere second to none.
From what I understand, the album is all the songs from the demos re-recorded, but I may well grab it at some point.
They have a black metal release from 2009 called, I think, Solve et Coagula, with Kvaforth and Malefic providing vocals. That is the next one I'll check out I think.
I think the more recent BM stuff goes under the name MANII. The Manes moniker is reserved for the experimental / electronic stuff. I listened to a recent Manes there not long ago but I couldn't get into it, despite being into Ulver type electro trip hop stuffs on occasion. Maybe just wasn't in the mood. Can't comment on the Manii releases. Too much music, not enough time!!
I've listened to a bit of the Manii stuff and it sounds good. Very much in the same vein as the early BM Manes stuff. But 'Solve et Coagula' was actually released under the Manes name. They hadn't developed the split personality of Manii at that point, which I think started around 2011.
The Ved Buens Ende... 'Those Who Caress the Pale' CD arrived today including the pre-VBE Manes recordings. Looking forward to getting stuck into it in the next couple of days.
Listening to a fair bit of Manii lately and it's really good stuff. Predominantly slow to mid- paced, gloomy and catchy songs with a funereal touch to them. They are hitting the spot on a number of fronts for me. I ordered the 'Sinnets Irrganger' LP this evening. Sadly, it seems the 'Kollaps' album is nowhere to be found so I might have to try Discogs for a good ass-raping...
LP landed today and it looks and sounds exquisite. The inclusion of the deadly 'Skuggeheimen' EP is most welcome for a latecomer to the party, although having one song at the end of side 1 and the other at the end of side 2 is a bit odd.
I love their predominant use of mid- tempos. It adds an epic touch to their grimness.
Two consecutive spins of 'Sinnets Irrganger' could only be followed by 'Under Ein Blodraut Maane'. My listening lately seems to consist mainly of Manes, Manii, old DHG, old Ulver, Ved Buens Ende and old Fleurety. Not a bad complaint.
The song 'Sinnets Irrganger' is so fucking cool. Epic, beautifully paced, wonderful use of piano and the incessant background lead guitar sounds really cinematic- almost cheesy. It's like the late night, pensive and moody background music to Lethal Weapon or something, but once you get used to the jarring combination of styles it really works.
New Manii album up for pre-order at Ván. Really nice artwork on it. There's apparently a sample floating about too, which I've yet to hear.
Sample here: https://terraturpossessions.bandcamp.com/album/terratur-compendium-mmxxiii
And also, Gjendød have released a Manes cover. They recently released a cover of Mysticum so I wonder if there's a demo of covers coming from them, which would be cool. The Manes cover puts me in mind of Thorns in a way. Quite a sharp production or something...
https://youtu.be/Td5i4q3gA0U
Great news on new album. Class act of a band from day one!
Had a blast of the new Manii last night and thought it was amazing. Will def be picking that up.
https://terraturpossessions.bandcamp.com/album/innerst-i-m-rket
Sweet. Must add it to the list that is growing and never getting smaller these days 8)
Never did find the 12" on Kyrck so I must have been mistaken, but went on a binge through old Norse stuff this week and demos/first album are fucking great. Must check this new Manii record so.
The last Manii record is bloody great. The first one, Kollaps, is alright but they have settled more into their style since.