Now Playing #9

Manitou - Entrance

This column is supposed to consist of music that I've been indulging in lately, but to be honest, I've been listening to lots of stuff over the past couple of months.  I can't tell you why I decided to write about this album in particular.  All I know is that it rules.  So Manitou was a progressive heavy metal band that formed in the mid-80's.  They were extremely Norwegian.  And I suppose they still are, but in any event, the line-up on this record boasted the talents of vocalist Oyvind Haegeland.  Power-prog scholars may recognize that name, as he contributed vocals to the sole release by crackerjack tech-mages Spiral Architect.  For your information, he also spends time in Terra Odium.  Both killer acts, in this writer's opinion.

Just like Spiral Architect, Manitou recorded one full-length before dissolving into nerd vapor.  The year was 1995, and man, it took entirely too long for me to discover this thing.  It won't sway anyone who doesn't listen to prog on a semi-regular basis.  The songs are as proggy as prog can be, what with the shortest composition clocking in at just under six minutes.  Standouts?  I'm loving the crestfallen leads of "The Forlorn" and the diagonal hooks of "Shadowhunt."  Mind you, I could use those very same adjectives to describe each track.  It's best to listen to everything on offer.

Entrance is begging for a re-release.  I want to own a physical copy, but the cheapest CD on Discogs will drain anywhere from thirty to forty bucks from my bank account, including shipping.  Normally, I wouldn't pay that much for tunes, but I might have to break down at some point.

Revenge - Strike.Smother.Dehumanize

War metal is an acquired taste.  In fact, I don't care for most of it, so I'm dipping outside my purview.  If Manitou is the soundtrack for a quiet night of reading (and it has been, in my case), Revenge is the soundtrack for a not-so-quiet night of raping and pillaging.  If you need a frame of reference, try to imagine bestial, crust-adjacent blackened thrash being played by werewolves.  Oh, and the werewolves are full-blown heroin addicts.  I can't say that songs such as "Oath Violator" and "Lightning Mythos" have much replay value.  However, they scratch the itch when I'm in the mood for something feral.  At the very least, I can hear the riffs, which is impressive for this subgenre.  It's a small victory, but I'll take it.