Manes/ Manii

[Eoin McLove]

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 

[Grim Reality]

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.

[Eoin McLove]

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.

[Eoin McLove]

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".

[Pentagrimes]

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

[Eoin McLove]

Gotta grab that Strid, too.

[Pentagrimes]

If I still have them I'll be discogsing them.

[Eoin McLove]

If you're getting rid of it give me a shout.

[Eoin McLove]

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.

[Eoin McLove]

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 

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. 

[Weltenfeind]

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 

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.

[Eoin McLove]

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.

[Grim Reality]

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.

[Eoin McLove]

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.

[Grim Reality]

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!!