Manserunt is a Raw Black Metal Collaborative Project from Italy and Germany, conceived in 2024. The project will release its debut EP, “Geist,” around September 2024, co-released with Adirondack Black Mass Productions and Pile of Heads Productions.
Manserunt, Geist: This review will evaluate every aspect of the album, from its intricate musical composition to its production. Our analysis will provide valuable insights to help you determine if this album is worth adding to your collection.
The First Three Sins of Geist
Let’s start by discussing the first three sins of Manserunt and their album, Geist.
The First Sin, The Strings/Keys: Features dark melancholy riffage damped with short, raw aggressive, accompanied by haunting and droney acoustic and ghostly piano/keys. The Second Sin, The Vocals: Involves beyond the grave of sinister and icy screams. The Third Sin—The Percussions: Delves into a vast world of progressive and fast-paced drums to propel the music forward.
The Fourth Sin: Overall Discussion: Lyrics and photos of the artwork are taken from this house and are inspired by supernatural experiences.
Before we embark on our review, it’s important to note that the band members of Manserunt are not newcomers to the metal world but seasoned veterans. This ensemble is a fusion of members from the esteemed groups Urluk, Malauriu, and Na Zarot, all of whom we have previously reviewed.
As soon as the listener presses the play button, the opening piece, Intro, greets the listener with an unsettling and haunting atmosphere and ghostly whispers. It immediately captures and immerses the listener in the raw, catacomb-like world of Manserunt.
The listener continues their journey with the second piece, The Room That Looks, and the remaining five pieces, where the music takes the listener on a supernatural journey. The music, with its haunting melodies and eerie vocals, transports the listener to a realm of ghostly whispers, unsettling atmospheres, and otherworldly experiences, creating a truly immersive and spine-chilling listening experience.
This group of devilmanship has created a raw black metal that goes beyond anything I have heard before, including the concept. Let’s focus on the lyric idea for a moment, the band name and the album title, which are different and all tied together. “The name of the band in Latin means “they remained”, which is a writing painted in the hall of the family home of one of the band members where it all began.” “The name of the album is Geist (in German, spirit) because all the lyrics and photos of the artwork are taken from this house and are inspired by supernatural experiences he had in these rooms,”
The lyric/concept, which was work by Urluk member “U,” was inspired by his memories, sensations, and flashbacks of his childhood in the family home. He empathised with the people who have lived there for 120 years since the house was built. U wanted to convey with this work a sinister but melancholy sensation of something that has remained in the walls, rooms, and halls. Something that has never gone away and continues to perpetuate itself endlessly without resolution. This essence of something that has remained gives the ensemble its name.
The production’s execution is genuinely exceptional. It maintains a distinctive, distorted, raw, old-school charm while displaying high professionalism. The composition of the instrumentation, vocals, lyrics, and music is meticulously crafted and flawlessly delivered, showcasing a fruit of art level of skill and artistry that the audience will surely appreciate.
Manserunt is an incredibly unique amalgamation that offers listeners an experience beyond traditional black metal. It evokes a deep atmosphere reminiscent of Urluk‘s songs—it’s like being surrounded by fog, tangled in convoluted, haunted thoughts. It feels as though the fog is contorting the haunted ideas. The music is characterised by Malauriu‘s dark, melancholic riffage, punctuated by aggressive bursts, creating a juxtaposition of emotions. Additionally, the raw, catacomb-like, depressive atmosphere of Na Zarot further enriches the depth of the experience.
At the same time, Manserunt and their devilmanship, music and instrumentation composition are all a forbidden fruit of art. The invocation of guitars of Malauriu‘s Schizoid, with lyrics and droney acoustic guitars of U. of Urluk, and the sinister and icy voice of M of Urluk. Na Zarot has added his ghostly piano and voice from beyond the grave. This unique blend of styles and influences creates a musical experience that is both haunting and captivating, an authentic fruit of the art of extreme metal.
If you like raw and beyond-the-grave extreme metal – this is for you!
The album comes to an end with the last song, Outro. This greets the listener with ghostly and haunting atmosphere keys and whispers, followed by a brief silence that finishes with a disturbing soundscape. We want to thank Manserunt for letting us review their album, Geist. Now, we’re going to wrap it up by talking about the final three sins and concluding the review.
The Last Three Sins
Let’s discuss the last three sins of Manserunt and their album, Geist.
The Fifth Sin, The Memorabilia:
When two artists collaborate, the result can be a fruit of art. But when you have four members from three different bands, each specialising in a distinct type of extreme metal, join forces, the result is a truly extraordinary and unique blend of their styles, all under one recording. During one listening session, I was utterly drawn into the haunting black/doom sounds of Urluk, mesmerised by the mysterious experimental tones of Malauriu, and wholly immersed in the raw, catacomb-like atmosphere crafted by Na Zarot.
Each band’s contribution intertwined seamlessly to produce a rich, multifaceted musical experience that left a lasting impression.
The Sixth Sin, The Artwork:
The artwork depicts a painting with a haunting feel, drawing viewers in.
The Seventh Sin, Disrelish:
Nothing to disrelish within the musical spectrum of Manserunt, and their album Geist.
This concludes the Manserunt, Geist review.
Track-listing:
- Intro
- The Room That Looks
- Four Cracked Windows
- Geist
- The Arm in the Ditch
- We Remained
- Outro
Manserunt Is:
- M. (Urluk): vocals
- U. (Urluk): guitars and lyrics
- Schizold (Malauriu): guitars
- Na Zarot (Na Zarot): piano and lyrics
Band/Artist Links:
