Manes - "[view]" reviews

[TRSTN]

3,5/5 - Chain D.L.K

After various line-up change during the years and after releasing two albums and several demos, the Manes see the release of their new EP titled [VIEW] that will be their last release for the Italian label Code 666/Aural Music. This new EP contains two new songs ("The neoflagellata revision" and "Knife & kleenex"), two covers ("Cinder alley" originally by 16 Horespower and "Title" which is somewhat inspired by Duran Duran) and three remixes de-constructed by Cordell Klier and DJ Don Tomaso. The two original songs are good mixture of melodic goth metal with powerful electronic e.b.m. arrangements (a sort of Metallica plays Nine Inch Nails). The two covers are two melancholic metal ballads (I don't appreciate the genre, so I can't tell you it they are good or not. Certainly they are well recorded and all, but I'm not a lover of this stuff). The two Cordell Klier remix ("Terminus deconstructus" and "Terminus dei profundis") balance well the industrial and the electronic sources. The latter is a little extreme (hisses and digital noise are the main elements) but it's the only noisy track of the lot, so it's ok. DJ Don Tomaso's remix of "Terminus" make of it a dub track without deleting its goth vein. A good track but it doesn't evolve during it six minutes lenght.
At the moment the band is without label but Kyrck Productions just reissued their three demos on one CD, so you can check their music anyway.

http://www.chaindlk.com/reviews/index.php?search=manes&type=music&category=0&format=0

 

[Emi]

from HARM.US

http://www.harm.us/reviews/showreview.cfm?albID=4481&visitor=0

It's really hard to believe this band first started as a raw / cold black metal act back in 1993! Well I guess some artists prefer moving into some other kind of music just like The Kovenant and Ulver for instance, a couple other Norwegians that comes to mind. The rawness is gone but the darkness proper to black metal is somewhat preserved in this modern sounding wall of music. Keyboards and electronics abound here, mixed with traditional guitar bass and drums. Almost split between instrumentals/ songs since three compositions don't have lyrics but vocal samplings like monk chant on "Terminus RMX". I just love the lead guitar and funny keyboard parts on this ambient / experimental number. The last track is purely experimental with distorted electronic sounds, not that easy to listen to. The other songs are more melodic with catchy lines; one of them reminiscent to Depeche Mode "Knife and Kleenex" while the following number "Title" has similarities with Duran Duran with David Bowie's type of vocals. Very different for sure with black metal but still pretty good and entertaining.
7.9 / 10

 

[TRSTN]

From Arcana Noctis Webzine:

MANES: [VIEW] EP, 7 Tracks, 33.28 min., Aural Music

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]I’ve discovered this strange band as they released their last album „vilosophe“ in 2003, through a friend of mine who distributes „code666“ cds in Romania, Alex from Beauty of Pain. I’m always searching for new intelligent sounds and I’ve found some great bands (like Devil Doll or Ulver) but Manes is quite an exception.
The band has existed for a long time, they started with raw primitive black metal in 1993. I’ve heard some of the material but I won’t say anything about it... it’s not my kind of music.
Even more surprising was their step from that sound to „vilosophe“, a very fresh, different and outstanding album. And [view] ist the next step.
The EP contains 7 tracks:
3 remixes of „terminus a quo/terminus ad quem“ (from that album), two of them reworked by Cordell Klier, very weird, I can’t find the association with the original track, but I like them, they sound like an deranged old radio The third one is made by DJ Don Tomaso, it’s also weird, but a little warmer... some kind of heavy-trip-hop (?)
2 cover-songs: „A View to a Kill“ by Duran Duran (called „Title“) which is not only a simple cover, but a reinterpretation made with love, and „Cinder Alley“, originally by Sixteen Horsepower... Every time I hear this one, I wish I could cry...
And most important, the 2 new tracks: „the neoflagellata revision“ and „knife & kleenex“ Amazing! Undescribable! Imagine a mix of Faith No More, Katatonia and Radiohead spiced with (the good part of ) the 80’s... but still hard, dark and depressive.
The whole thing is packaged in a nice black and white digipak which is limited to 999 copies, so, if you’re open minded, don’t hesitate to visit their site (www.manes.info) or century media records, which is the only mailorder where I could find it to date.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]By Dr.Winter[/FONT]​

http://uk.geocities.com/arcananoctis/reviews-m.htm​

 

[TRSTN]

Here's a little chat Cern and me had with Kostas of MetalEagle Magazine concerning the [view] EP, among other things:
http://www.metaleagle.com/interviews.php?action=show&id=113

...and the Manes website has been updated with some news and discography additions:

http://www.manes.info

 

[TRSTN]

Not really a review, but surely a review nontheless. The brilliant Aquarius Records in San Francisco has stocked [view], and that's an honor in itself since this little independent shop, established back in 1970, write on their website that "We try to only carry music we love, and we're always searching for more new, cool, weird and wonderful music." And they seem to find quite a lot. Be sure to check out their website: http://www.aquariusrecords.org/

MANES

[View] Extended Play

For some reason, when we first threw this on, we had completely forgotten about the last Manes record we reviewed a while back, about which we wrote: "How did this exemplar of raw, primitive, droney black metal end up making melodic trip hop? And how did they get Ozzy Osbourne (or, in truth, his close sonic approximation) to handle the vocals??" I guess we had maybe blocked that record out, and were still expecting, apparently against all odds, a batch of raw buzzy grim primitive black metal. But now upon reflection, this new Manes doesn't seem quite as ridiculous. At least within the realms of Manes' strange sonic world. Following a similar metalhead-alienating career path as Ulver and Solefald, this Norwegain outfit has basically shrugged off any and all vestiges of their metal past (minus the occasional 'heavy' guitar).

At first, having forgotten completely about Manes' stylistic shift, we were annoyed, and a bit bummed, but approaching this without any metallic expectations yields some strange pleasures, and we of all people certainly can't begrudge a band who wants to try some crazy fucked up shit, even if it's not exactly what we were hoping for.

The first track, is oddly enough a 16 Horsepower cover! Manes converts the swampy revivalist blues of 16HP into some sort of dark cabaret, with wailing crooning, clean vocals, almost MTV style, over chiming U2 like guitars, it does get a little bit heavier, but not THAT heavy, very glossy like later Solefald. The rest of the record veers from glossy metallic sort-of-pop to techno remixes, the songs are loaded with lots of synths, a little like a lighter version of Marilyn Manson or Orgy with processed distorted guitars and industrial drum machine rhythms and those very Ozzy-like vocals. A few tracks sound like Blur (!) and one sounds distinctly like Erasure, or maybe Duran Duran with its cheesy eighties hard pop sound, affected vocals and drum machines, which makes sense when you check the liner notes, which mention the fact that the song in question is somewhat inspired by Duran Duran" which explains why it features little bits of DD songs sort of morphed into slightly more metallic industrial shapes. The three remixes range from blissy, glitchy trip hop groove, to a sort of blown out techno soundscape, like an instrumental Front 242, to the final track which is a slow shifting blast of white noise weirdness. A big ol' crazy mess of very un-metal weirdness, but it's got some strange appeal for sure. Fans of recent Ulver should definitely check this out...

 

[Emi]

from http://www.fucine.com/network/fucinemute/core/index.php?url=redir.php?articleid=1321

Carol Sue ha smarrito la retta via, ma il buon pastore la cercherà. I Manes ricominciano da una cover dei 16 Horsepower, una band con testi a metà strada tra Nick Cave e luteranesimo. Non lo ammetteranno mai, ma stanno ancora giocando con il loro passato "satanico", per porsi oggi in maniera ideologicamente ed esteticamente indefinibile: il pezzo è un grado più pesante e oscuro dell’originale ed è valorizzato dallo stile subito riconoscibile di Eivind, chitarrista del gruppo. Chi canta è Emil, non più Asgeir (i due in ogni caso si alternano al microfono nel corso di tutto l’EP) e forse è un male, perché, ad avviso di chi scrive, il secondo era uno dei punti di forza di "Vilosophe". La sua voce, un impensabile incrocio tra Ozzy Osbourne e David Bowie, valorizzava un album emotivamente intenso ed evocativo, che segnava la rinascita della band all’insegna di riff pesanti e più immediati del passato, ma anche di ritmiche spezzate e trip hop. Niente di cui stupirsi però, perché le scelte spiazzanti sono routine per Torstein e compagnia, tanto più che ci si trova di fronte a un EP, quindi a un tipo di pubblicazione già di per sé deputata a raccogliere gli esperimenti e le pazzie di un gruppo: lo scopo principale è il viaggio e non la meta, il sentiero si fa camminando. A ribadire l’esigenza forte di imprevedibilità/incomprensibilità, oltre al cover artwork tutto da interpretare e alla consueta non-riproduzione dei testi, stanno i tre remix (ad opera di due disc jockey esterni al gruppo) di "Terminus a quo/Terminus ad quem": due di questi sono dei rifacimenti totali francamente trascurabili, soprattutto nel momento in cui uno è già informato riguardo il piglio anarchico dei Manes; quello di Dj Don Tomaso è forse più scontato, ma coglie bene e mette in evidenza il lato pop e malinconico del pezzo. In contrasto agli ostici remix stanno "The Neoflagellata Revision" e "Knife & Kleenex", due canzoni "a presa rapida", a metà strada tra metal e electro-pop, simili per impostazione – per fare un esempio recente – a "The hand that feeds" dei Nine Inch Nails, dove la chitarra pesante asseconda e sottolinea una ritmica facile e molto lineare rispetto alla jungle di Vilosophe: non a caso sono state pensate per le esibizioni dal vivo, visto che all’epoca tutto sommato il repertorio era scarso. L’auspicio è che continuino a suonarle, perché hanno colpito nel segno. I collegamenti con certa elettronica degli anni Ottanta non sono forse cercati, guarda caso però rimane proprio da descrivere "[Title]", le cui parentesi quadre richiamano quelle che contengono la parola "View" sulla copertina dell’EP: i Manes ci dicono essere qualcosa ispirato dai Duran Duran: si può dunque pensare a una cover di "A view to a kill", il pezzo che scrissero per un film di James Bond. Superfluo ormai precisare che il brano è stato letteralmente travolto (ancora in bell’evidenza la chitarra di Eivind) da una cieca forza creativa: magari quel cavallo bendato che campeggia in copertina la simboleggia.
Con questo EP i Manes sciolgono il loro legame con la code666/Aural Music, l’etichetta che li ha (ri)scoperti nella loro nuova veste di fantastici traditori di tutte le aspettative. Nel corso del tempo sono diventati un collettivo di musicisti più che una band: il cantante non è un membro stabile del gruppo e le collaborazioni esterne confermano l’impressione di trovarsi di fronte a un progetto a "formazione aperta". L’identità dei Manes è dunque un puzzle mai completo: i tasselli fondamentali sono Cern, che passa con versatilità dalla jungle al trip hop, da ambient a elettro-pop, poi il bassista Torstein, che cura i testi e in certo modo la filosofia ("vilosofia"?) del gruppo. Non si può comunque tacere sull’apporto di Eivind, chitarrista anche degli Atrox, band altrettanto mutevole, e del batterista Rune, attivo con i The Third and the Mortal, che, in quanto ad attitudine sperimentale sono molto vicini ai Manes. In un album e mezzo abbiamo sentito metal, ma anche broken beats piuttosto che echi di Massive Attack, tracce ambient costruite sul campionamento integrale della scena di un film, remix tra noise e Autechre in contrasto a techno pop, tributi a band spirituali come a quelle frivole ed edoniste. Impossibile allora indovinare cosa ci aspetti in futuro, si sa solo che ci saranno ben due album.
In sintesi, "Vilosophe" è un gioiello da possedere e conservare gelosamente, "[View]" è un accessorio di lusso, un po’ più vistoso: da esibire col sorriso. Il primo è imprescindibile, il secondo è una bella tentazione.

 

[Emi]

manes interview in english: http://www.fucine.com/network/fucinemute/core/index.php?url=../../../archivio/fm84/eng_intervistamanes.htm

 

[TRSTN]

A new Manes interview can be found here at Metal.de ...


...and Metal.de has also reviewed the [view] EP and written this:

Beispiele für die stilistische Wandlung vom ursprünglichen Black Metal früher Tage zur elektronischen Avantgarde gibt es besonders in der norwegischen Szene einige. Prominenteste Vertreter dieser Entwicklung vom Saulus zum Paulus sind mit Sicherheit ULVER und DHG. Aber auch ihre weitaus weniger beachteten Landsleute MANES haben Ähnliches hinter sich, und haben sich vom ziemlich gesichtslosen Früh-Neunziger-BM-Klon zu einem wahren Geheimtipp in Sachen intensiver, experimenteller, aber dennoch gut konsumierbarer elektronischer Musik gehäutet. Nach ihrer 2002er Göttergabe "Vilosophe" war es viel zu lange still um die Formation. Mittlerweile ist bekannt, dass man derzeit an zwei vollständigen Alben gleichzeitig werkelt, sodass der hier vorliegenden "[view] EP" die klassische Überbrückerfunktion zukommt. Thematisch hat die gut halbstündige Scheibe stark reflektierenden Charakter, da neben drei Remixen von "Terminus A Quo/Terminus Ad Quem" (im Original auf "Vilosophe"), die allesamt von befreundeten DJs stammen, vier neue Stücke enthalten sind, die sich stilistisch nicht allzu weit vom Album entfernt haben. Während die vier neuen Kompositionen äußerst gelungen sind, kann man sich bei den Neuinterpretationen - wie so oft - streiten.

"Terminus A Quo/Terminus Ad Quem", das im Original durch seine besonderen Trip-Hop-Beats und seine ausgesprochene Eingängigkeit einer der stärksten Songs auf "Vilosophe" ist (so man da überhaupt Qualitätsunterschiede ausmachen kann), wird dabei gleich dreimal durch die elektronischen Recyclingmühlen gedreht. Die Version des "Terminus rmx" von DJ Don Tomaso (weder verwandt noch verschwägert ist noch recht gut verdaulich, da das Thema des Songs zumindest andeutungsweise erhalten bleibt und mit elektronischen Experimenten bearbeitet wird.
Cordell Klier springt dagegen ganz anders mit dem Stück um. Bei den Schlafanzugträgern von Star Trek würde es heißen "Phaser auf 'Töten' stellen". Denn was bei Herrn Klier am Ende übrig bleibt, ist äußerst experimentell geraten und nur noch entfernt mit Musik in Verbindung zu bringen. Bereits sein erster Versuch "Terminus Deconstructus" lässt keinerlei Rückschlüsse mehr auf das ursprüngliche Stück zu, sondern ergeht sich in einem mit simplen, plakativen Rhythmen ausstaffierten Geräuschszenario, das deutliche Parallelen an die mechanischen Klangmuster von ULVERs "Perdition City" oder auch THEE MALDOROR KOLLECTIVE aufweist. Allerdings vollkommen ohne Melodie, was ich bei einem so intensiven Stück wie "Terminus..." sehr "mutig" finde, um es einmal nett auszudrücken. Bei "Terminus Dei Profundis" gehen dann aber alle Pferde mit Herrn Klier durch. Eine euphemistischere Umschreibung als "purer Krach" geht mir dabei beim besten Willen nicht über die Lippen. Mit Störgeräusch pur, Ameisenkrieg in der Glotze oder Radioempfang im Tunnel hat man den Inhalt dieser akustischen Vergewaltigung ziemlich gut erfasst. Zwar ist dieser Remix gänzlich für'n Arsch, zum Glück ist er aber das letzte Stück auf der Scheibe, sodass man sich dankenswerterweise nicht einmal die Mühe machen muss, ihn zu überskippen.

Die vier Tracks, die von MANES persönlich stammen, sind dagegen allerdings einfach nur als genial zu bezeichnen. So hätten das atemberaubende 16 HORSEPOWER-Cover "Cinder Alley" oder das DURAN DURAN-inspirierte "Title" ohne weiteres zwischen "Ende" und "The Hardest Of Comedowns" stehen können. Diese Songs transportieren dieselbe verzweifelte Melancholie, wie sie bereits "Vilosophe" eigen war. "The Neoflagellata Revision" und "Knife & Kleenex", das allein schon für seinen subtilen Titel eine Würdigung verdient hat, gehen weitaus lebendiger zu Werke, bestechen aber ihrerseits durch eine hohe Eingängigkeit. Mit Elektronika halten sich MANES vornehm zurück, ohne jedoch auf sie zu verzichten. Vielmehr sind sie so harmonisch in den Sound eingewoben, dass sie erst bei aufmerksamem Zuhören als solche auffallen.

Wer "Vilosophe" mochte, dem werden zumindest die MANES-Stücke auf dieser EP hundertprozentig reinlaufen. Die Remixe sind Geschmackssache. Beeilen sollte man sich mit dem Erwerb der EP auf jeden Fall, da sie auf 999 Exemplare weltweit limitiert ist.

http://www.metal.de/cdreviews.php4?was=review&id=6414



Soon: big news and new album!

 

[Emi]

http://www.gothtronic.com/?page=23&reviews=2098

Manes can be classified along Ulver and Dodheimsgard: black metal bands who have grown wary of the conventions of black metal and are now exploring different musical dimensions. Although a newer generation of black metal acts have shown that even in the genre it is possible to innovate (I am thinking of bands like Xasthur, Lurker of Chalice, Nortt), I am partial to these experimentations. It exposes the link between black metal and, say, Coil: it stresses the similar themes and atmospheres. Manes, by their own admission, is more influenced by Duran Duran.
This new EP is much in line with the previous album "Vilosophe". There are a couple of odd things. First they cover the song "Cinder Alley" by the overtly christian 16 Horsepower (a big no-no in the black metal community). And they have included no less then three remixes of "Terminus", a song from "Vilosophe". The two remixes by Cordell Klier are decidedly leftfield, reminding me of Hellfish. The remix by DJ Ton Tomaso is more subdued.
The three remaining new songs seem to be strongly influenced by new wave (with hints of metal). This results in pleasant songs that are somewhat reminiscent of Paradise Lost around "Host" or "Believe in Nothing". A solid EP but not earth-shattering.


Band: Manes(int)Label: Code666Genre: ambient (ambient / soundscapes / ritual / drones) Type: cd Grade: 7.8Review by: Pure_holocaust

 

[Bard F]

From Maelstrom 'zine (USA)

(http://www.maelstrom.nu/ezine/review_iss48_3459.php)

review by: Pal the Postman

Trondheim, Norway.

Manes previous and heavily electronica-influenced album, Vilosophe, got a rave review in Maelstrom, gaining a massive score of 10/10. As a steppingstone before the next full-length album, Manes recorded two new songs, a cover of a 16 Horsepower song and a song somewhat inspired by Duran Duran to form the EP entitled [view].

Like with Finland’s Black Crucifixion (who got a review in the previous issue) we have a black metal band not longer wanting to play black metal for being weary with the scene. Personally, I think that a band should change their name to avoid existing fans’ becoming disenchanted, but alas, many metalheads are renowned for their stubbornness. For instance, there is a number of people around who did appreciate Burzum’s post-metal explorations on keyboards, living out his Nazi-esque, pagan, Dungeons & Dragons fantasies. Still, with no doubt, a majority would prefer the old stuff.

As expected, after an album like Vilosophe, little guitar violence is to be found on [view]. Expect instead the sound of dark electro like Skinny Puppy tearing up Depeche Mode.

On this release, Emil handled main vocals and Tor-Arne added some "violent" percussion. Apart from those four new recordings, this EP, limited to 999 copies, included two remixes by Cordell Klier and a remix by Dj Don Tomaso.

"Cinder Alley" is the 16 Horsepower cover (they were a folk/gospel bluegrass band from Denver who disbanded last year). What I like most about it is the clarity of the drum cymbals during the intro. The overall feel of the song reminds of the pathos of something like Evanescence.
Emil’s high, theatrical vocals drag me back to cobwebbed mind-crevices with the long lost memories of one Kevin Rowland (a master of theatre in his day).

"Terminus RMX" is a sort of triphop instrumental with staccato rhythm samples. "The Neoflagellata Revision" seems like something by ‘80s techno pioneers New Order, combining drama with dance. Though having a bit more guitar in it, it’s still shockingly poppy stuff, in contrast to a title as catchy as an eel in a bucket of goo.

Things really start to lose ground with"Terminus Deconstructus," which has a guest appearance by a low-pitched, electronised parakeet introducing a total bleep-fest courtesy of Cordell Klier.


"Knife and Kleenex" is along the same lines of "Neoflagellata," which are the only two songs entirely created by Manes. The song "Title" is based on Duran Duran’s title track for the ’85 James Bond film "A View To A Kill" and, in all honesty, because it seems more like a homage than a parody, my sympathy levels drop very rapidly. I never liked Simon LeBons whining back then, and when I must admit that a Duran Duran song remains better than a cover version, my mood for the day is well-screwed.


And to top it off: The total 180-degree drop is established with the last track called "Terminus Dei Profundis," which is a "highly fascinating" collection of various fuzzy noises at different pitches that will pull the listener under in a murky pool of avant-gardeness, which is — to use a quote by Rick Wakeman — "as interesting as a wooden chairtester with piles." As if the original wouldn’t have been aggravating enough, Cordell Klier made a RE-mix of it.


No, really, my verdict is not as positive as some other folks gave. A few months back I had a tough time writing about a difficult release from a drastically eclectic french collective called Diapsiquir, but in this case a display of eclecticism rather numbs the mind instead of challenging it and for that I can’t help but wanting to throw this Manes thing straight out the window. It’s as pretentious as Paris Hilton’s pale white ass and it is a confusing battle between annoyment and boredom. I haven’t been able to decide between the two.

Manes is currently in pre-production for two new seperate albums tentatively titled Invention — or How the World Came to an End and Why We Did It and Be All//End All. I’d suggest they present them under the title [Terminus Definitus] — Impression # 1 and Impression # 2 and subsequently call it quits, or at least with this distracting peskiness. Just how can one get so exited about 30-odd minutes? Hrmpf. (3.5/10)