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MANIMALISM
Manimalism

Adversum (2014)
Rating: 9/10

Well, well, well. What a peculiarity this is. The mysterious Manimalism is the brainchild of one Kim Sølve who originally formed this oddity back in 1992 as Taarenes Var, with the press release for this debut opus adding that these guys were “a silent contributor to the first wave of Norwegian post-black metal weirdness”, and I’d most certainly agree.

Built around material written between 1993 and1999 and recorded between 2002 and 2013, this seven-track affair is one of the most compelling records I’ve heard for a long time; effortlessly combining jarring yet pensive black metal nuances with slow, disfigured Goth-tinged doom metal and yet with lyrics that are way outside of the box.

From the off we have the absurdly brilliant ‘Demons In Tuxedos’; a strange brew of dissonant guitars and then, dare I say it, pop-edged yet deeply Gothic and disturbing melodic doom metal where the vocal is lazily foreboding – crystal clear and haunting while fiddling with avant-garde aesthetics. It’s on another planet to be honest; taking extreme metal to new levels of suave, bellowing and bewildering and always beckoning us into its club of dread.

Musically, there is an ever-present jazzy, bubbling bass mixed with a grating, stabbing probe of a guitar tone and a steady cascading drum. There’s nothing overtly heavy or anything remotely hostile, but when the press release mentions that Taarenes Var was “too bizarre to get recognition in their own time” then there’s always that worry that Manimalism may suffer too. Hey though, this is 2014, a time where any musical form should be appreciated. These guys are hopefully going to sit well with the experimental black and doom metal brigade, but this album is just too good to ignore.

The hauntingly odd ‘Carnal Catering Service’ rumbles in formidable fashion, boosted again by that minimalistic guitar jolt, but if I were forced to describe this unusual affair in just a few words then I’d have to go out on a limb and say that Manimalism is like a twisted cauldron blending the crooning quality of Burt Bacharach with suave avant-garde doom metal with black metal sprigs.

It’s such an accessible yet deeply disturbing opus that I’m unsure if some will get it. These guys have constructed a hidden, secretive place where dating a corpse is as normal as sipping a cocktail. All suited and booted, Manimalism struts with an air of evil confidence and you just cannot put your trust in such work in case it embarks you on an adventure into such seedy depths that you’ll never be the same again. Indeed, there are times on this opus that I fully expect Mike Patton (Mr Bungle, Faith No More) to turn up as ringmaster.

‘The Gentleman Is In The Detail’ begins with that now familiar grey guitar sound and the usual prods of discordance, but that’s about as predictable as it gets, the chords merely a moody back jab to that distant bass trundle and those inviting vocals which evoke both images of romanticism but also horror – nevertheless, it’s a horror we can barely imagine, such is the alien cabaret club in which it has been concocted. And with slightly jazzed segments of the surreal coupled with an almost emotionless vocal narration, the likes of the creeping ‘Romance’ and the yawning grey abyss known as ‘The Dandified And The Devilish’ become such suspenseful enigmas that at times you’ll be questioning what you’ve just heard.

While musically it’s not the most disturbing thing you’ll hear, all ingredients fused together brings a result of such utter foreboding and esoteric that you’ll become convinced that strange beings in tuxedos are peeping through your letterbox of a night! With the slow burning churn of ‘The Crooner’ and the finale of ‘The Cocktail Party To End Them All’ to bring this strange affair to a close one can only imagine what sort of characters could come up with such an environment, but Manimalism’s self-titled expression is the sort of decadent party one can only dream of being invited to. Are you brave enough to turn up, though? For me, this is the finest marrying of black metal, doom metal and avant-garde I’ve ever set my ears upon.

Neil Arnold

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