Mortes Saltantes

Pt. 1 - Night of Wandering Spirits

If you happen to be exploring Japanese metal, you ought to notice a good proportion of the bands from there, which have at least a slight exposure to the world, have the tendency of more or less experimenting with their metallic sound. May it be just light, non-conventional, outer influences or going as far as throwing out a majority of those fundamental elements, Japan is recognized for being prolific in that department. That may be the whole reason why one would be interested in expanding his knowledge of fresh, exotic, challenging and unsettling metal by discovering Japanese bands. One of the particularities these bands may have, the inclusion of more traditional Japanese elements into the music and structure, is one I find most fascinating due to the work being a lot more exotic - at least to us, westerners. Magane is probably one of the band who has the most succeeded in satisfyingly melding both the metal and the folk while keeping it true at heart, not drowning the sub par metal in overdone folk melodies, and still having meaningful traditional elements. There can be more metal moments, more folksy ones, or a good blend of both, never does one of those elements take the backseat. Now just look at that cover, that representation of a cherry blossom branch in the night, what feel does it give you? That may be a good indication as of what you are about to experience in Mortes Saltantes.

If we start with the basics, Mortes Saltantes has five primary standout elements. First, it is sung almost entirely in Japanese, the vocalization being executed in two different, opposing styles; the predominant "typical" - still, Yasufiko has a recognizable voice - black metal rasps, as well as some lower deliveries and the clean, more akin to what I'd guess being traditional Japanese music, usually sung by a couple of the members. Musically, that kind of cohabitation of opposing styles between the fundamentally more metal and more traditional influence is still present. Black metal would be the easy, primordial tag, though some songs like "Tsavulafi" have a strong allegiance to thrash/black, it is also hinted in most songs. The best comparison I could give is that it sounds similar to Darkthrone's A Blaze in the Northern Sky. As for the traditional side of the instrumentation, it is principally expressed through keyboards disguised in multiple types of keys, some acoustic guitars as well as bass lines.

It is then from that principle of those ideas cohabiting together that Magane shape the music consisting Mortes Saltantes. The main point of how to make it work, is to have your fundamental elements standing on their own, without being obsolete when them and the influence enter the same trajectory, as well as both when isolated, and in any other cases, share the same goal, a similar atmosphere. Too often when the traditional or folk elements are put on top of the metal, the latest is just there, and doesn't have any real connection with what is put on the forefront, it just exists to keep the metallic quality of that moment. Additionally, it wouldn't hurt some of the more metallic sections to have a certain traditional structure, and/or the piece to have good transitions. On Mortes Saltantes, Magane succeed in that problem, at times better than others, but succeeded in making a rich atmospheric piece of art where the metal isn't just an excuse for having an outside influence, when both share their course, when they are complementary and harmonize to achieve the same goal at hand.

But speaking of atmosphere, the one crafted on Mortes Saltantes is an accomplishment in itself. It's like you were wandering in the land of Yomi, during a foggy night, through some of those exotic gardens, filled with those cherry blossom trees, sensing the presence of centuries old spirits; it's weird, eerie and gloomy. That particular sound, besides the music itself, is also due to the very fitting production and, not progressive structures, but more elaborated ones as well as non traditional rhythms. The production is hard to describe, it doesn't sound bad, yet doesn't sound particularly good, maybe a little muddy and slightly cold, well it just fits. It couldn't make the atmosphere flow better, the most primordial thought it could give you, is one of a cloudy night, and if you elaborate, giving the perception of something mysterious, supernatural is going to happen - hell, have you ever played Otogi? Like in, it could be the soundtrack to it? So beyond the atmosphere it helps create, the production lets a lot of breathing space for the bass which is a good thing here. It has a good rumbling, raw sound being an appropriate partner to the equally solid drums. There's moments where it shines, taking the lead, giving the album yet another twist among the others that came before. The drumming, like I said, is solid; every beat, every pattern seems particularly appropriate as well as being well executed, some parts have great cymbal hits as well as weird patterns. The guitar too is worth speaking of, while it does nothing groundbreaking, it has some truly brilliant riffs adding to the mysteriousness of the atmosphere.

While Magane succeeded in making such a good piece of art, the album's biggest problem is that it lacks a little bit of consistency. It's an excellent album with a unique and addictive atmosphere, but strangely enough, while it doesn't have any bad songs, the problem is that the best ones are all put in the beginning and the not as incredible in the second half. So during the first listens I unfortunately tended to listen to the same four songs or so, but the others are still time worthy and have their share of particularly good moments, the end being very well executed. Included, is the bonus track "To the Dark Past" from the Magane Attack single which was released after the album. The song and sound is pretty much in the same vein as Mortes Saltantes although is more varied in structure. It starts with a slow, brooding flute with some drums progressing in until the guitars, and then the vocals kick in. Then some thrashy riffs starts, going back into slower territory and then at full speed black metal, and continue to cycle through like that. About the vocals, I don't know if Yasufiko does them all as there are two predominant style, and most members have vocals credited, but if not being better than "Tsavulafi", it is Magane's best vocal performance right after it. Hell, take the best metal duo, Jeff Walker and Bill Steer, replace the former with a more blackish Yasufiko and a more... "eerie" vocalist instead of guttural, and you've got an idea of how it is pulled out in this track. Add some choirs here and there, coupled with the Japanese lyrics, and you've got one of the best vocal performances I've heard. Really, it's better than a good part of the album and it's a shame the other track is only available in a rerecorded version on Beginning at the End as well as the original release being only a two track single, as it would have probably surpassed this album.

So Magane managed to craft a great and satisfying aural experience by successfully melding folk elements from their culture with metal music without any of these being cancelled by each other, or drown the other, while helping create an atmosphere that could directly be from Otogi. A good representation of how unconventional the Japanese scene is. If you're tired of how generic black metal can sound or just crave for some more original metal, you'll want to check it up.