At first contact with the album [view], the simple design of the cover and booklet catches my eye: the black and white artwork lets await extraordinary sounds – and MANES are definitely different. I was a little bit surprised and nearly shocked what has happened to this once Black Metal performing group, the band changed its style completely and [view] has nothing to do with older releases.
I am really content with some new influences and changes concerning style, but the dissonant cheeps and electronic additions of [view] tax my patience enormously. The “normal” songs are partly audible and hold a gentle flow of melodies and vocals. But who needs these remixed versions? Nobody I think! DJ Don Tomaso „ennobles“ Terminus Deconstructus and gives the title its self-explaining meaning. Noisy and annoying, the song passes me by arousing an unpleasant feeling. It gets worse with the concluding acoustic horror scenario Terminus Die Profundis, which should stay where the title recommends – deep down underground where nobody can be disturbed. Somewhere along the way I saw the video of Aphex Twin called Come To Daddy and the moods aroused on [view] are comparable.
This is definitely not my cup of tea, this CD checks my nerves. MANES are unique for sure, but not in positive terms. That’s why I don’t rate this CD, because my knowledge concerning Ambient music can be compared to this in ironing…