Manes – “Slow Motion Death Sequence” [Album Review]

Manes began life as a two-piece experimental black metal band. Now, they live life as an art-fused experimental rock outfit that is quite hard to pin down. The latest offering, Slow Motion Death Sequence, is listenable and flows well, but it might struggle to find a market.

Each track is detailed. Electronica often intertwines with art-house rock. Moments of jazz can be heard fleetingly, too – as in “Chemical Heritage”. It’s bold stuff for sure, but its eclectic soundscape will likely put a fair number of listeners off. It ranges from the more experimental sounds of bands such as Gorillaz to the likes of Muse and even Steven Wilson. The eclectic mix finds a voice not too dissimilar to Ozzy Osbourne’s, which, strangely enough, doesn’t sound too bad.

Manes know their way around progression. Each track builds and builds, adding multiple layers of depth throughout. You won’t know where a song goes next, but you better believe each one is building towards some kind of climax. Despite Manes’ sound understanding of progression and musical flow, however, Slow Motion Death Sequence never “clicks”.

Check out Manes’ official video for their single “Endetidstegn” here.

There are too many disparate sounds going on here. Some tracks dwell on the rock-side of Manes’ sound (“Poison Enough for Everyone”), which sounds a little better, but for the most part, Slow Motion Death Sequence has too much going on at once to sound truly good. This means that any decent moments don’t last very long. You’ll be enjoying a solid bass riff only for it to end a couple of seconds later. It can get a little frustrating.

Slow Motion Death Sequence features too many ingredients. It doesn’t know whether it wants to be an experimental art-rock album, an electronica piece, or a progressive rock record. Some will love it for its mix of eclectic styles, but most might find it all a little too strange for its own good.

Slow Motion Death Sequence Track Listing:

01. Endetidstegn
02. Scion
03. Chemical Heritage
04. Therapism
05. Last Resort
06. Poison Enough for Everyone
07. Building the Ship of Theseus
08. Night Vision
09. After

Run Time: 45:52
Release Date: August 24, 2018
Record Label: Debemur Morti Productions