Mortes Saltantes

Magane is a Japanese black metal group who has been gaining significant attention as of late. Blending old-school black metal with Japanese folklore, they create a unique sound that takes influence from both ends of their musical spectrum. Unlike most bands who simply hammer together a combination of mishappen folk influence and metal, Magane take care in crafting their music to make a logical fusion of both spectrums. Their debut LP 'Mortes Saltantes' is certainly a unique release on many levels.

The music could be mostly described as a combination of 'A Blaze In The Northern Sky'-era Darkthrone blended with modernized black metal riffing and traditional Japanese vocalizations. The vocals are possibly the most distinct part of the music; while black metal rasps are often used, the best of the vocals come during the clean portions. At these intervals, Magane uses multi-tracked voices singing Japanese folk melodies, adding an especially eerie layer to the proceedings. Some of the coolest moments on the album feature this, such as the ending harmonies of 'Tsavulafi'.

'Mortes Saltantes' has a strange atmosphere almost reminiscient of the B-horror movies of the 50's and 60's. Throw in this mix a topping of Japanese flavor and you have the soundtrack to a ransacking brigade of monochromatic Asian zombies terrorizing various fishing towns. Also adding to this is the frequent use of distorted bass; there are frequent interludes with the instrument that are used to various levels of effectiveness. While out of place, it's inclusion is not undesired; it simply adds another layer of strangeness to the album.

The main problem that 'Mortes Saltantes' suffers from is a lack of consistency. The album tends to get rather scattered on the second half; this is probably a result of Magane placing their three very strongest tracks as the first on the album, leaving the rest unnecessarily weak. Though one could say that one shouldn't say track listing detracts from the album, in this case it does. I don't find myself listening past track 5 or so very often. This is simply a matter of time that I hope was rectified in future releases.

All in all, 'Mortes Saltantes' is a unique, if not amazing, black metal album. Many will pick this up simply to see what all the fuss is about when it comes to such an unusual artistic endeavor. I'd say it's not a bad idea. Give it a shot and determine for yourself.

(Originally written for www.heavymetalmeltdown.com)