UMUR
Manifestations 2002 is a studio album release by French black metal act Deathspell Omega. Recorded shortly after Inquisitors of Satan (2002) and intended for a split LP release on End All Life Productions with Cantus Bestiae the material on Manifestations 2002 has been in the vaults before being released in 2008.
When listening to the album it is apparent that this was written and recorded within a short time period as the songs are very much in the same style and the production is the same on all songs ( a thing that has not always been the case on earlier recordings from the band). The music is raw, dark and cold primitive old school black metal with raspy vocals. Lots of blasting but also some mid-paced sections for variation. The lyrical content is pretty obvious with song titles such as Monotonous Ecstasy of Death, Monument of Hate and Bleeding Them Like Swine. This is not about flowers and peace on Earth. Allthough this is not my favorite kind of metal, as I find the style a bit too monotonous to enjoy for 40 minutes, I do enjoy the aggressive nature of the music and especially Hasjarl´s menacing guitar playing. I really enjoy some of the dark atmospheres he conjures up with his riffing. After a couple of songs I´m usually done though and overall the album is too trivial an experience to excite me.
The musicianship is good. The music may still be rather primitive at this point in their career but Deathspell Omega can certainly play their instruments.
The production is pretty good for the style. Raw and unpolished but not noisy like the earlier productions from the band.
If you enjoy old school black metal this release is probably right down your alley but personally I do prefer my extreme metal a bit more challenging and I can recommend checking out later releases from the band if you´re interested in avant garde/ progressive black metal like me. Manifestations 2002 belong to the early old school black metal days of Deathspell Omega´s musical output and is probably most exciting for the hardcore fans of the band. A 2.5 star rating is deserved.