Tuesday 17 December 2013

Man Gremmes Kan - On A Pulpit of Souls Tape


Now any heavy music fan worth their salt will know about the history of Norway's black metal scene. The country has been a bastion of icy, hatred-ridden noise for over three-decades and it shows no sign of stopping.  Man Gremmes Kan are another export, forming in 2012 and releasing their debut demo tape, On A Pulpit of Souls via UK label Glorious North Productions earlier this year.

Created by multi-instrumentalist Venomenon and aided during the recording process by Vardalv from Throne of Katarsis on drums, Man Gremmes Kan promises to be an experience steeped in the stench of human suffering and Norse legend and romance.

Tracklist:-

1. To Bear False Witness (When Mecca Burns)
2. Our Genocide God
3. Vaar Tornekrone
4. World Turned To Ash
5. Om Blekes Fall
6. On A Pulpit of Souls

As soon as you press play on this tape, it’s apparent that the music within has been created by a Norwegian black metal band. No other country could produce such a sound. Man Gremmes Kan, with just two members on this recording, manages to create music with a volume and depth that isn’t common with many two-price bands and it’s startling to think that this is only their first recorded output.

Opening with To Bear False Witness (When Mecca Burns), the sound is clear, guitars razor-sharp and the drums possess a warm, live tone and benefit from a mature performance by Vardalv. The touches of ambience and melody throughout the composition shows a band that favour musicality and thanks to a strong production, there are none of the usual black metal demo sound issues. 

The majority of songs on here are around the five-six minute mark, allowing Man Gremmes Kan to explore there song-writing and to allow the songs to flow through a natural progression. The guitars during Our Genocide God have more of a thick, driving effect and pull in some more modern metal elements, whether intended or not. There is still some rawness within the recording that helps it to sound organic and natural.

With Vaar Tornekrone is spewed forth in Norwegian, which adds to the biting coldness of the song. The introspective instrumental section mid-way through allows some rest and some time for contemplation, prior to the chanting and tortured screams that lay ahead. The rhythms seem to lean towards punk at times when the tempo is paired down slightly, which also gives the blastbeats more impact when they take centre stage.

Man Gremmes Kan seem to hit their blackened stride during World Turned To Ash. The rasping screams threaten to wrap themselves around neck and squeeze, while the piercing cymbals bury themselves deep within your head. The endless energy of the band is more apparent during Om Blekes Fall. Venomenon and Vardalv power their way though a suitably chaotic intro and into a song that twists and turns. In the space of just over four minutes, the mood switches from maddening to serene and then back again.

Ending with the title track and some clear yet loud guitar riffs, Man Gremmes Kan settle into a disdainful dirge that promises to crush you. The more measured pace actually adds to the song and while the tempo does increase later on, the two textures really compliment each other. With this tape, Man Gremmes Kan know exactly what they want to achieve and manage to do it with six songs which are to the point. They don’t make things overly messy or arty, they just use their musical ability in the right way. Another fine release from Glorious North and another band to watch out for in the future.

You can stream On A Pulpit of Souls here:-


You can buy it as a digital download from the bandcamp page above.

The tape version is limited to one-hundred copies but you should still pick one up here - http://www.gloriousnorth.co.uk/products-page/tapes/page/3/.

Man Gremmes Kan Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/mangremmeskan
Glorious North Productions Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/pages/Glorious-North-Productions

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