Manes - Be All End All

After over five years of preparation, the Metal veterans from Manes return from their second hiatus with the release of the great atmospheric Be All End All. Following the line of the Norwegian group's two previous works, How The World Came To An End, and Vilosophe, this album focuses on creating dense auras with highly reverbed instrumentation, seemingly disjointed twitchy artificial noises, and hypnotic loops.

Even though there are no highly distorted instruments and aggressive drumming, this album still manages to sound strangely heavy. Tension builds as the echoes of the guitars clash with each other in the background. The vocals transit from radio-like to moans to distant calls, always in the most distressing manner possible. Meanwhile, the drums and twitchy noises (I really cannot find a better term to describe them) remain in the background, to emerge as dramatizing agents when necessary.

There is a divide going on about half way through the album, starting with track 6, Free As In Free To Leave. Suddenly, the focus of the songs shifts from mostly acoustic loops and electronic sounds to more traditional riff-based pieces. These  latter pieces feature prominent distorted guitars, dramatic vocals, and marked drumming, similarly to Paradise Lost's Symbol Of Life. Such changes may result from combining pre and post-hiatus pieces into the same album.

Be All End All is a great addition to the stream of atmospheric stuff I have been reviewing lately. It is not only a refinement of Manes' musical experiments, but also a possible indicator of the group's shift towards a more Gothic sonority.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/manes.no

Livingston-Animal

When I first spun Animal last Thursday I didn't get it. I was preparing myself for a pretty heavy trip, a festival where drugs and alcohol were eschewed rather than encouraged. Something about it didn't sit right with me. Then I spun it again today and something clicked. There is a strange orchestral magic to Livingston's new record that allows it to stand tall. With its beautifully layered production and intricate sound, Animal goes beyond what many of the bands indie rock contemporaries are doing and lays the groundwork for a sound that is far more promising and epic.

Sure, there are a lot of weird touches of electronic music in here and some autotuned parts, but in all honesty, that adds to the strange beauty of this recording. The otherworldly vocal lines on tracks like Big Mouth is touching, it draws me in and touches the soul. If I was to compare these guys to any band around today I would have to draw a link with the Killers. There's the same idea of having prog rock instrumentation within an alt-rock context. That being said, there is a distinctly English touch to these guys sound which sets them apart from their peers. The music on Animal is honest, yet is done very differently than records from other nations, there is a distinct flavor that only Livingston can provide, and it shows clearly on every track of this album.

As the band eases their way through these tracks it's easy to find the beauty behind it. There is an ebb and flow to the music which transcends words and in many ways speaks to the magic of alt-rock in the twenty first century. These guys have great songwriting ideas and this makes for some singularly engaging work. The soundscapes crafted on Animal are stunning and will leave you in awe for spin after spin. Let Livingston work into your heart, you won't regret it. These guys have exciting and interesting new ideas, and after twelve years, it might just be their time to shine.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/livingstonmusic

Mangoseed

Mangoseed is an exciting rock band from London. Their sound, while based in tradtional rock roots, actually has a lot more going on, with touches of world music and pop to augment the sound. Why, on many of the tracks off their new album, Basquiat its possible to find bits of rapping. The electronic elements here also add a lot of flavor the music and give Mangoseed a unique vibe. See, what makes Mangoseed so interesting for me is that they take a lot of elements that we, as music fans, are pretty familiar with, but they deploy it all in a unique way and give the group a color that no one else has really achieved before. As you dig deeper into this record you find that Mangoseed really aren't to be taken lightly, they simply have so much exciting and new stuff going on that it boggles the mind. Filled with a variety of ideas and emotions, Basquiat is a shape shifting beast who transcends many of its contemporaries. Suffice to say, I think the future will be very bright for these English innovators!

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/mangoseedband

Saddolls-Grave Party

I don't get to review NEARLY enough EBM on this website, and I really don't know all that much about the genre either, even though I love it and treasure every EBM record that comes through my wheelhouse. Saddolls are just another magnificent example of the triumph of Electric Body Music as a genre, filled with heavy guitars, gothic vocals, and some really interesting soundscapes made possible by some stunning electronic ideas. These are the things that make Saddolls new record Grave Party so powerful, EBM that captures the soul.

See, what I love so much about this record is the memorable melodic hooks. They are easy to dig into and they are simply a blast to hear. They provide a solid musical basis for a lot of the songs, a sort of jumping off point from which we delve into all sorts of strange new earths. Simply put, Saddolls have some of the coolest new ideas that I have heard in EBM in a good long while, they are not afraid to be catchy and fun, yet at the same time there is a much darker, more gothic side to the music. The kind of thing you bite into and find a strange abyss hiding within. There is a dark magic to the songs on Grave Party that just might not strike you upon first spin.

So here I lie, upon a futon in my best friends house, and what can I say, other than buy this record. It is the kind of hooky and immediately endearing EBM that fans of the genre the world over will enjoy, it reflects a certain triumphant magic, in a way that only a band made up of dudes who love guitars, darkness and crafting eldritch electronic soundscapes. Let your hair fly and body move, Saddolls are bringing something new to the table and Grave Party is their first real musical statement. As the band evolves I'm excited to hear what happens, they are rife with potential and the possibilities are limitless.

Find them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/saddolls

Malice in Wonderland-The Royal Brigade

Malice in Wonderland is an interesting rock group to say the least. With a sound that is unique, powerful, and oftentimes very passionate the way that these guys craft a sound is impressive. The thing is with this band that everything is polished, precise, and often just feels right. Yet, do not make the mistake of thinking that Malice in Wonderland are mere posers trying to make a buck, no, there new record The Royal Brigade wholly disproves that with its unique approach to the genre that we all know and love so well. This is what rock in the twenty first century is meant to be. 

From the bombastic introduction of Diamonds, you know that you're in for something special, it sets up a suitably epic backing for the record to come. One of my favorite aspects of the record is the way that it seems to ebb and flow, moving between light and dark. The frequent use of electronic elements helps to make things special, it gives an interesting timbre to the music and gives the entire thing a unique flavor. This is immediately established with the second track, Black Wings, and goes on to affect the flavor of the rest of the album. The way these synth riffs are mixed with more rock and roll elements (like the solos) is a big part of what makes The Royal Brigade so engaging.

Borne out of the minds of a group of Norwegian dudes who shared a passion for music, Malice in Wonderland seems to be achieving new frontiers with every passing day. Now, there latest triumph is almost ready to hit shelves. The legendary John Fryer has made this record sound fresh and promising and helps to establish the magic of Malice in Wonderland. A record with a unique and powerful aura around it, Malice in Wonderland are a joy to listen too and The Royal Brigade shows an excellent understanding of both songwriting and rock and roll music, if you want proof that rock will never die then this is the band for you!

Find them on Facebook!

https://www.facebook.com/maliceinwonderlandof?fref=ts

Tenth Electric-Grenade

Electronic rarely provokes anything more than indifference to me, I think its simply because most of these bands don't really have the aggression or ferocity to make things interesting for me. Yet every once in a while there is a group who really get how to make electronic rock and release something powerful and beautiful. With Tenth Electrics new single Grenade it seems like this is one band who might finally understand how to get electro rock right. With powerful riffs complimented by a striking synth line these guys are simply a lot of fun to listen to. Their punchy sound grabs my ears in a way that few (if any) other bands in their genre really can. A product of excellent songwriting and some quite clearly top notch musicians the way this band plays with dynamics is exciting and engaging. It puts the band in a class with other genre elites like Muse or even Imagine Dragons. In short, if you're looking for an exciting new band who seem to understand how to create some engaging electronic rock then search no more and let Tenth Electric melt your face off.

Listen to them on Facebook!
https://www.facebook.com/tenthelectric