Manes “How the World Came to an End” CD

With "How the World Came to an End" (on Candlelight Records), the long-awaited follow-up to the absolutely brilliant "Vilosophe", boundary-less Norwegian experimentalists Manes continue their Ulver-esque transformation away from any semblance to metal—or even traditional "rock" music of any sort—much less the primitive black metal from which the band was first birthed. Building up and out from the foundation of "Vilosophe", this material is even more avant-garde and electronic-based, from its arrays of glitchy electronics and pounding, industrialized percussive characteristics to lushly textured melodies swirling around and surrounding throbbing basslines and droning guitar work with various forms of nice, flowing singing from a number of different contributors—not to mention several guest vocal spots from obscure hip-hop artists. And when concrete riffs and loose references to "catchy" songwriting elements do start to present themselves (check the impeccable "Nobody Wants the Truth", especially) there are still so many different influences and little twists and turns happening that nothing is able to come across as too stripped down or simplistic, so... there's definitely a hell of a lot going on here, and it can certainly be attributed to a very intricate and patient artistic vision. It's important to note that they don't lose focus or take things over the top, however. The album contains 10 tracks in just about 45 minutes, so there's a sense of control and cohesion that keeps things interesting and consistent without lacking variety or dynamics. It's definitely not overkill, and it's great that such considerations have obviously been given thought here. I think "Vilosophe" was a stronger album when all is said and done, but there's some beautiful work amongst these tracks (and honestly the hip-hop elements are actually really fucking cool), and I'm still a huge fan of this most respectable outfit. Very cool, and certainly something different from the norm, which is always nice...

Manes "Nobody Wants the Truth"
Manes "Deeprooted"

As always, make the purchase if this is something that interests you:

Candlelight Records
The End Records