Manatark
Viimanegi Veri
[Guano]
Having thoroughly enjoyed Manatark's "Roosteitk" demo, I picked up their new
album without hesitation. "Viimanegi Veri" not only successfully continued to
develop the direction started in "Roosteitk," but greatly capitalized on it.
This is how modern black metal should be done. Instead of crappy keyboard
over-saturation, cheesy gothic overtones or half-baked experimentations,
Draconic and his new partner in crime Gates delivered a unique and dynamic
blend of technical riffing, inimitable atmospheric melodicism, and exquisite
near-psychedelic keyboard/fx textures that are steeped into tenacious black
metal framework.
Manatark continued working with their quite original sound, perhaps polishing it a bit. Draconic has expanded his riffing arsenal, made the song structures more intricate, and diversified the synth and effects arrangements while keeping much of the black metal's intensity and speed intact. The great thing about this album is that it does not suffer from overproduction and does not sacrifice its mood for the sake of technicality. All the components are really well balanced, and all the technical attributes work to contribute to the free movement of emotions and atmosphere. Moreover, it is one of those rare records where intros, outros and interludes serve the purpose of maintaining the atmosphere and providing for the smooth flow of the music as opposed to just being there. And if any skeptical arbiter of originality has doubts about this band's credibility, he should just switch to the album's seventh track "Meelepett" to witness how unconventional and exalting the band can sound when they are on a roll.
There are only five songs plus four intros/interludes, all of which last for about 35 minutes, but the record possesses this wholesomeness and feels like a single, complete unit. The lyrics are in Estonian as before, but English translation is provided this time. Again, admirable packaging from Guano folks, who hopefully will be able to give wider exposure to the reputable Estonian scene in the future. In any case, check this one out because Manatark came out with a high quality outing once again.
© 2001 boris
Manatark continued working with their quite original sound, perhaps polishing it a bit. Draconic has expanded his riffing arsenal, made the song structures more intricate, and diversified the synth and effects arrangements while keeping much of the black metal's intensity and speed intact. The great thing about this album is that it does not suffer from overproduction and does not sacrifice its mood for the sake of technicality. All the components are really well balanced, and all the technical attributes work to contribute to the free movement of emotions and atmosphere. Moreover, it is one of those rare records where intros, outros and interludes serve the purpose of maintaining the atmosphere and providing for the smooth flow of the music as opposed to just being there. And if any skeptical arbiter of originality has doubts about this band's credibility, he should just switch to the album's seventh track "Meelepett" to witness how unconventional and exalting the band can sound when they are on a roll.
There are only five songs plus four intros/interludes, all of which last for about 35 minutes, but the record possesses this wholesomeness and feels like a single, complete unit. The lyrics are in Estonian as before, but English translation is provided this time. Again, admirable packaging from Guano folks, who hopefully will be able to give wider exposure to the reputable Estonian scene in the future. In any case, check this one out because Manatark came out with a high quality outing once again.
© 2001 boris