MANES (Eng.)
– Hello and first of all, thanks for taking the time. How is everything going right now with MANES? What are you currently up to?
THS >> there’s a bit of activity at the moment.. finally got a lot of ‘old stuff’ done, so we can start afresh… at the moment we’re just about to start working on new material… finally!..
viNd- >> Things are slowly falling into place and we’re getting ready to work on new material – exciting times ahead!
– First of all, for all those who may not be familiar with you; could you please make share some history of the band?
THS >> ouch.. too much to write.. have a look here instead: http://www.debemur-morti.com/en/84-manes
– You have just released your first album in 7 years, «Be All End All». How are you feeling about it?
THS >> not bad.. although, it’s 6-7 years late, and i don’t have much interest in looking back – always looking forward to ‘the next thing’.. but it feels nice to get it ‘out the door’, so we can forget all about it, and do new things..
viNd- >> It feels very good to finally have “Be all End all” released. It took us a long time to finish that album and it is a relief to put it behind and start looking ahead and creating new stuff. I feel good about “Be all End all” because I think it contains a lot off good sounds, moods and so on, in the Manes spirit…
– You reunited last year after «disbanding» in 2011. What prompted your comeback? How has the band changed after that hiatus?
THS >> a little misconception here.. not the first time in manes’ history… we weren’t really split-up or anything, but ‘put to rest’.. a year or two agao, it felt right to get back to where we left off, and continue.. i don’t think the band has changed that much, really.. except that we all have a bit more experience, and have done other things.. so maybe that could bring some new, interesting viewpoints and ideas into manes.. we’ll see..
viNd- >> We just rested in peace for a while, and when we all felt that the time was right for getting back on to the surface, we continued and finished what we had started on for «Be all End all». I think we all have grown on the experiences we went through while making the new album, and also on things we’ve done outside of the Manes camp. And I think that this will be heard on our next work.
– I personally think on this new «Be All End All» you have gone further exploring both your Jazz and electronic elements. Was this how you envisioned this opus like or did just happen?
THS >> we never think how an album will turn out when we’re making it.. we follow our intuition, our impulses, and do whatever feels right there and then.. as long as it feels exciting and musically ‘fresh’, we’ll do it.. there’s no limits..
viNd- >> When we write music we only create what pops up in mind, trying to be open-minded and seeing where the idea takes us… just going with the flow, letting the creativity run free and make it form the idea without any boundaries. Afterwards we can easily hear if it’s a good Manes tune or not.
– Without any doubt, I could even say this is your most diverse record to date. How important is for you, as musicians and composers, to keep things dynamic and interesting?
THS >> it’s the ‘alpha/omega’.. the main driving force for us, i think.. if we feel we were repeating ourselves, or that there isn’t anything that fascinates us, we’ll stop..
viNd- >> It’s very important for us to keep the music making interesting, and then you need to be open-minded and explore new territories. It’s no point for us to make “the same album” twice if you know what I mean… We have the need to explore and develop…
– This being said, you seem to draw musical inspiration from different sources, also from non-Metal sources. Due to this I would like to kow what are some of your favourite bands and if the band members share musical tastes.
THS >> metal is fuckin’ boring! conservative and narrow-minded.. if it were completely up to me, we wouldn’t even use guitars anymore.. but i give in to the wishes of the others.. at least for the time being 🙂 .. well, nah, it isn’t that black/white, perhaps, but still.. some nice bands/artists you should check out: dälek, brothomstates, autechre, morphine, ..
viNd- >> Metal, non-Metal… it does not matter… In my mind it is not about what genre the music is… If the music is good it is good, it does not matter if it is Metal,
Pop, Hip-hop, Rock etc… Some bands that I enjoy to listen to is Rammstein, Katatonia, Seigmen, My Dying Bride, Portishead, The Prodigy, Depeche Mode, Kent, Peeping Tom, Faith No More, Black Sabbath…
– Into your creative, singular sound; is there any limit you would never cross?
THS >> nope.. no limits..
viNd- >> I know it would be very hard and difficult for me to go into soul and gospel music, so I’m not sure if I ever would cross that limit…
– Digging into the lyrics on this release; what’s the main concept behind them?
Torstein >> There is no singular theme that unites the lyrics of «Be all End all», but I guess there is some sort of conceptual umbrella overshadowing it to some extent. All tightly bound together with the music and the artwork. Since «Be all End all» initially was a kind of companion to «How the world came to an end» early on, we wanted it to differ conceptually. HTWCTAE was dark, borderline black, and maybe a bit personal in form, BAEA was tuned to a more mythical realm. Maybe not mythical, but let’s say sacred. One became more introvert, and the other floating more to The Beyond. But, that’s the overshadowing umbrella. The lyrics, word for word, has been given a very unholy treatment, where some stuff has been pulled apart and put back together, some stuff is more stream-of-conciousness vocalization and some stuff is pure fucking poetry.
– The cover artwork looks really singular. What’s the meaning behind it?
viNd- >> The artwork is made and done by an artist named Ashkan Honarvar. He came up with the artwork after hearing and reading some of the music/lyrics. It’s all connected (artwork, lyrics, music) and there is a meaning behind everything. Try to look into it and see if you can get the message…
– All this about «Be All End All» being said; how could you describe it in just 3 words?
THS >> 1) a.. 2) ‘new’.. 3) album.. 😀
viNd- >> Piece of art
– This has been your first album with Debemur Morti after leaving Candlelight. How is everything going thus far? In fact throughout your career you have been with several different labels. Has this affected the band in any way? As I guess it won’t be easy to have to look for a new company, etc.
THS >> things are going very well.. the label is very supportive, and perfect for us.. nothing has, or will ever, affect the band, or the music..
viNd- >> Our experience with Debemur has only been positive so far. They did a lot of work to get us on the label and they have kept their word so far. Described in a few words I would say that Debemur is very professional and supportive. And as Skei says, nothing has or will ever affect the band or the music… and I think we have proved that during the years.
– And finally, what are your near-future plans?
THS >> new music..
viNd- >> Yeah, new music and maybe some other special Manes stuff…
– That’s all, thank you once more for answering our questions. If you want to add some final words; feel free to do it.
THS >> thanx for the interview..
viNd- >> Thanks for your support.
