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REVIEWS
Vital
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Sehnsucht is the Norwegian artist called Maniac. Apart from Sehnsucht,
Maniac is also the brain behind one of Norway's most successful
black metal-bands Mayhem. Before Sehnsucht, Maniac established the
project Skitliv, that was combining elements of black metal with
electronic elements of the harsher kinds. Sehnsucht use the same
approach of combining metal elements with mistreated electronic
equipment, though in comparison to Skitliv, this project is more
subdued and introvert. Compositionally the album first of all belongs
to the industrial, with ambient elements of the darker and more
evil kinds. Metal-based guitar riffs and industrial, even harsh
noise elements penetrates the music. Another remarkable thing is
the vocals of Maniac himself, changing between black metal-screams
and spoken voices. Also voice samples of women and screaming horn
instruments momentarily intervenes the structures. Interesting new
effort from Maniac, that takes a further step away from his early
roots in
the extreme metal-scene. (NM)
Compulsion
On-Line
There's no stopping Maniac at the moment. With Skiltliv he has released
the album Skandinavisk Misantropi late last year, and Det Skjedde
Noe Nur Du Var I Belgia with Andrew Liles and Czral. Wuste is by
far the most surprising, I've heard from the former Mayhem vocalist.
Sehnsucht is regarded as his noise/darkwave/ambient project but
it goes far beyond that description. Alongside Maniac, Sehnuscht
comprise Vivian Slaughter (Gallhammer), the Icelandic Skitliv guitarist
Ingvar Magnusson and sound composer Andrew Liles. Sehnsucht is an
altogether different beast for Maniac.
The hollow ringing atmospherics of 'Sult' cuts to a barrage of metal
guitar riffing with Maniac's guttural roar, the entire thing is
then looped and riddled with effects, blasts of explosive noise
and added frequency damage. It sounds like a monstrous experimental
improvisation. With a caterwauling vocal it's also one of a few
tracks that betray Maniac's past in black metal music. As for much
of Wuste, Maniac relies on a spoken word approach of sorts, and
with Andrew Liles on production they're shredded and shadowed only
allowing his unadorned vocal to slip through for brief moments.
On the charmingly titled
'Cunt Queen' his pensive drawl menaces over rattling percussion,
and quietly layered buzz guitars drenched in effects. 'Tarn of Guilt'
is awash with backwards processing and heavily effected vocals,
treated into squeaky and squawking processed hellish voices. It's
a funhouse of effects and treatments latterly picking up on some
simple piano keys and plain acoustic strum. 'Stadt Der Engel Der
Vernichtung' features a split-channel delivery of out-of-time vocals
over feint acoustic guitars. Everything is steeped in rubbery treatments,
squeaks and creaks, snaps and crackles ensuring Wuste is enveloped
in a surreal madness more typical of Nurse With Wound.
Even where Maniac isn't centre stage things don't settle into anything
too normal. The title track is rendered in Japanese by Vivian Slaughter,
her spoken voice ever so slightly processed over squawking sax-blurt
and lumbering lowend bass notes. The female voices and background
hammering of 'Tokyo Daymare' slides into electrobeats with rhythms
in disarray, sprinkled with a collage of TV samples.
Wuste contains a couple of cover versions. And it's telling that
by far the strangest is his choice of a Dwight Yoakam cover. With
heavy reverbed chords augmenting the acoustic guitars 'South of
Cincinnati' is given a touch of bluesy Americana with Maniac laying
down a gravel coated drawl in the vein of Tom Waits, Mark Lanegan
or Bain Wolfkind.
Sehnsucht's take on Current 93's 'Good Morning Great Moloch' flits
between an almost nursery rhyme delivery and whispered and growled
spoken voice, the melody carried on fuzz guitars. Imagine Current
93's Swastikas For Noddy redrawn as stripped back black metal and
you might get an idea of how this piece of creepy folk music sounds.
The pivotal track on Wuste is 'Hanging In English Garden' where
over tumbling electric guitar notes, Maniac, shadowed by the breathless
whisperings of his fianc?e, lets loose with a string of expletives
as he passes comment on life, consumerism and capitalism. Snide
comments on black metal and questions of worthiness and life are
raised. As it progresses you can pick up on Current 93's 'This Carnival
Is Dead And Gone' as it quietly strains from one channel.
Wuste is a strange beast of a record that marries elements of metal
with industrial and noise. I guess Wuste is disparate and diverse
but at its best it successfully captures the atmosphere of Current
93, with the eccentricities of Nurse With Wound, while carrying
over something of a metal edge. Who knows whether the breadth of
ideas is down to Maniac or to Andrew Liles fried production but
this is definitely the best I've heard from Maniac.
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