Manes – Teeth, Toes and Other Trinkets (2014)

Highly experimental and unconventional outfit Manes finally returns to the scene with a compilation release that will precede a new full-length release later this year (or so). In “Teeth, Toes and Other Trinkets” the band puts together a very eclectic assortment of tracks from their “Vilosophe" and "How The World Came To An End" eras. Any fan of the band will greatly appreciate the moodiness and uniqueness of the tracks presented in this release and will surely make them more excited for the band’s upcoming release.

In case you are still expecting any Black Metal from Manes (just in case), this release is far from it and showcases the band’s later musical progression into dark jazzy/avant-garde territories. Just imagine (current) Tiamat meets Green Carnation and throw in some of mid-career Ulver into the mix and this is what you will get. For everybody else staying with the Manes program, “Blanket Of Ashes” delivers quite a powerful opener with excellent vocals and trippy percussions.

With a huge hit in recording quality, but not terrible, “Ende” is a very cool rendition of this track from their “Vilosophe” release. We quite appreciate the commanding lead vocals and the overall sense of melody that the track brings to the listener. Things get more into electronic territories with the solid “Ease Yourself Back” and the remix of “The Cure-All”. One of our personal favorites is the dreamy “One More Room”, a hauntingly beautiful track that could easily pass as a more mainstream band’s song.

The band’s command of electronic elements mixed with chilling atmospheric passages continues through songs like “Tzolv”, “Nodamnbrakes” and “Nobody Wants The Truth”, truly taking the listener to a multi-faceted journey through the band’s darkest emotions. The raw emotion (and quality of “Diving With Your Hands Bound” makes it our favorite song of this release. Here we have one of the most heartfelt and haunting vocal performances we have heard in quite a while, and we completely recommend the listener to brace themselves for it.

“Deeprooted” 8-bit version is a cool, but truly bizarre ending to such an eclectic compilation. We love ‘Nintendo’ music and this last track is quite awesome. As a whole, “Teeth, Toes and Other Trinkets” is one of those releases that any fan of the later years of the band will greatly appreciate. With a wide spectrum of songs, the listener is in for a treat with this one.

Label: Debemur Morti

Release: January 17th, 2013

Genre: Avant-garde / Experimental

Country: Norway