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In August of 2012, Manifesto (a Dark Ambient/Death Industrial act from Sweden) released his album entitled 'Rust' on the DIY-label Silken Tofu, a platform for experimental music and media created in 2006 to release lesser known Electronic, Noise and Power Electronics artists. This full length album is Manifesto's third release since 2000.
Magnus Zetterberg was born in 1981 in Uppsala, Sweden. There, he studied sound engineering and earned a bachelor of arts degree in sound and music production. Magnus has been active in the Dark Ambient and Industrial scene for about ten years now, using various monikers, of which Manifesto has been the primary alias for the past seven years. Magnus was also musically involved with the groups Fucking Funeral (a Black Metal band from the 90's) and Supremacy (an Industrial band, also from the 90's).
This album features 7 tracks, all of which are untitled. Emotional and mental decay, self-contempt and depression are the main themes of this album. While the artist does fall into the overall encompassing Dark Ambient genre, I would say that the distortion and sounds used throughout this album defines itself as a Death Industrial and/or Noise Ambient album. The album definitely has a very dense, multi-layered atmosphere that is found within the Death Industrial genre, but it does not feature any screaming or distorted vocals. Most of the tracks are a combination of the calmness and soundtrack-like qualities of a Dark Ambient track, mixed with the abrasiveness of Power Electronics tracks. I can hear a little bit of Black Ambient in there due to it's use of pounding, but slow "metal" beats, along with some distorted chanting, but this makes sense seeing as how Magnus has a background in Black Metal. For my ears, this results in an oppressive, Death Industrial atmosphere. So, if you're in a good mood, this probably isn't the best album to listen to. It takes the listener on a journey into the madness of the creator, which is spiraling out of control and leaves the listener feeling very unfulfilled, but musically fulfilled in a good way (if that makes any sense!).
For anyone that doesn't know much (or anything) about the genre of Death Industrial, it can be described as having much of the same sounds used in Power Electronics, but those sounds are used to create a deep, atmospheric/ambient sound instead of just a wall of noise. Basically, it's like a toned-down version of Power Electronics that focuses more on the noisier ambient side of things. The Grey Wolves are often credited for pioneering the style, but the term was first used to describe artists like Brighter Death Now and Atrax Morgue.
It's hard to pin-point anything specific about a certain track. They tend to start off quiet and progress to a wall of noise. Some revert back to a more ambient sound and then build up again. A few are just noisy throughout. The last track is the most quiet track and I feel it doesn't really wrap up the story, but rather leaves the listener with an unsettling feeling. While each track sounds different from the other, they flow nicely into one another and tell a fairly horrific story. For each of the seven tracks, I imagine seven different rooms or levels of a giant building. Each room/track has it's own vibe, whether it's creepy, depressing, unsettling, etc. You make your way through each level only to find yourself trapped in another area of oppression. There is frequent use of mechanical noises, and a distorted guitar here and there. But basically, I envision scenes of torture, the feeling the despair, and nerve-wracking sounds that don't let up and drill into your brain. Good stuff! This album sort of has a diabolic, pseudo-satanic overtone to it. At times, the music sounds like a soundtrack to a horror movie. There is an evil-tinged calm to the music, with it's use of barely heard hummings, distorted ritual chants and subtle unidentifiable noises.
Honestly, I'm kind of surprised that this album was released on a DIY-label because I really feel like this album is something that would be good enough to be released by Ant-Zen or Ad Noiseam. It definitely sounds like a release from Cold Meat Industry. It's only a few years old, but it kind of has that old school Industrial Ambient vibe to it. I hope that Manifesto gets noticed by one of these labels (maybe even Tympanik Audio) because I feel Manifesto deserves to be on a label of this caliber instead of a DIY-label. I don't mean any disrespect to DIY labels, and perhaps Magnus prefers to stay off the radar. I just feel that the quality and maturity of this album exceeds what I find on many DIY-labels and I think Manifesto deserves to be performing at larger events and festivals for his genre.
Manifesto's next album, entitled 'Exit' is in the works, but it is progressing slowly due to unforeseen circumstances. He does not expect it to be released before Spring 2014. I look forward to this release and I hope that the title of the album is not an indicator that he will be wrapping up the Manifesto project. A preview video of the album can be found on Manifesto's website and on Youtube. I encourage everyone who is into Dark Ambient, Death Industrial and even older Industrial music to give this album a listen. I feel it would also be a great introduction album for people who are looking to get into Death Industrial or even into Dark Ambient.
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