Have you ever felt completely carried away by the piercing cold of a beautiful night at the forest?
This was my first association when I played the album „Innerst i mørket“ for the first time.
It had been a long time since I’ve  heard something new that so skillfully and effortlessly transported me to another dimension – one of those dark and secret spaces that you don’t want to leave at all. A work of Art that pulls you towards the depths, leading you confidently into impenetrable darkness.

Trondheim’s Manii have been masters of this charming old school and cold black metal atmosphere since their formation, going even deeper into the exploration of darkness and its fascinating presence in the illusory notions of the human mind with their third full-length, „Innerst i mørket“. Everything that the band managed to convey in the early years of Manes and previous albums under the Manii banner, here devours us even more with its immense power – another reason for you to pay attention to the  album and let it leave its mark on you.

The album consists of a single track lasting about 38 minutes, and what I heard is very hard to describe in words – it is such a pure emotional whirlpool and musical mastery that words could only slightly hint at what you are about to hear in September.

„Innerst i mørket“ feels  like a medieval journey divided into several parts belonging to a whole, although it is presented in the form of an independent single piece of Art.
And in its different chapters we are accompanied by various hallucinogenic sound visions in which we rediscover the most distinctive features of Manii.

Beginning with Cernunnus’ haunting keyboards in a beautiful dungeon synth atmosphere, layered in a way that paints ethereal mirages in the mind, cold distortion guitars are gradually added to the music to follow the melody’s smooth and dreamy , melancholic pace. Just minutes after this passage we are moved by livelier guitar work and drums, still haunted by the main melody of the keyboards… which begin to move further into the background of the instrumental, until at some point they get lost in space and are replaced by the raw essence of Manii and Sargatanas vocals, which cut through the space and, combined with the rhythmic guitars and pulsating smooth drums, outline the dark, cold and – at the same time – very beautiful silhouette of „Innerst i mørket“ , which is layered and built upon throughout the duration of the album.

I’m trying to highlight a specific moment from the title  in my mind that made a particular impression on me, but the truth is , the whole album is one and there isn’t a single wasted second. Perhaps the inclusion of the high ghostly synths somewhere around 9:09, the veiled organ melodies and Sargatanas mourning voice, flowing smoothly into the next chapter of total methodical darkness backed by haunting harsh vocals and cold guitars with a slower tempo and uniquely pronounced bass, managed to make me rewind a few more times though, as the sheer flow between moods is extremely interesting to follow. It’s rare to hear such combination of instruments on a black metal album.

The way each part flows into the other and carries its message in an uncompromising way is bewitching. From dark reverie and melancholy, the album moves gradually into an aggressive black metal attack, with the flavour, albeit much more distant, of a bygone era still present amongst the cold and harsher instrumentals and the ethereal keyboard melodies of minutes gone by. I understand perfectly why the band has chosen to present the album as a whole – the sequencing and gradation of each element is so naturally composed and executed that simply any pause would be an unnecessary redundancy and would interfere with the musical narrative.
As it stands, the title feels entirely complete and its wholeness engulfs the space with ease.

‘Innerst i mørket’ is a spellbinding & a bit peculiar album  that can be listened to over and over again for hours that will feel like seconds with each ending of the album. A pure eargasm with melodies echoing in your skull and a compelling emotional charge that pierces the mind.

With albums like this piece of Art, it’s only natural to plunge into the depths of darkness and let yourself go with the flow, being led to unsuspected corners where you discover precious treasures glimmering in the shadows. A dark tale, translated into the language of Manii’s black metal mastery, that you will ‘read’ in complete awe.

Score: 10/10

You can hear an excerpt from the album here:

Band: Manii
Album: „Innerst i mørket“
Release date: September 15th, 2023
Label: Terratur Possessions
Order link: https://bit.ly/3pGWgt9