Eight years after the acclaimed Slow Motion Death Sequence, Norwegian experimental visionaries Manes return with To Burn Is To Shine, their sixth full-length album and the beginning of a new chapter in a career defined by fearless artistic evolution.
Since their inception in Trondheim in 1992, Manes have consistently refused to remain confined within stylistic boundaries. Emerging from the early Norwegian black metal underground with the cult debut Under Ein Blodraud Maane, the band soon embarked on a remarkable transformation that culminated in the landmark Vilosophe, an album that would become one of the defining statements of avant-garde metal. Throughout the following decades, Manes have continued to blur the lines between metal, dark electronica, alternative rock, trip-hop and experimental music, developing a sound that remains unmistakably their own.
Following the release of Slow Motion Death Sequence, the band deliberately set out to explore even darker territory. Rather than pursuing another stylistic reinvention, Manes turned inward, crafting what has become their bleakest, most layered and emotionally demanding work to date. The result is To Burn Is To Shine: an immersive collection of seven compositions where oppressive atmospheres, heavy crawling passages, unpredictable arrangements and cinematic electronics converge into a deeply unsettling yet captivating listening experience.
Conceptually, the album abandons supernatural imagery in favour of a profoundly human darkness. Themes of psychological collapse, personal struggle and social decay intertwine throughout the record, while recurring references to fire and flames provide a symbolic thread running from the album title to several of its songs. As always with Manes, lyrics serve not as straightforward narratives but as another expressive layer, open to interpretation and intended to resonate differently with each listener.
“Stones In Your Pocket” is the first single from the new Manes album, and is available for streaming worldwide via YouTube, Bandcamp and all and every streaming platform. To Burn Is To Shine also features contributions from several distinguished guests, including Ana Carolina Skaret (Mourning Sun), Eskil Blix (Djevel, Vemod), Marita Hellem (Enevelde), Rune Folgerø (Atrox, Drontheim) and Tom Christian Engelsøy (Drontheim), while Vegar Larsen (Whoredom Rife) performs drums on two tracks. The striking visual identity of the album has been created by New York-based designer Michael Houtz, whose handcrafted artwork extends across the physical editions and accompanying merchandise.
More than three decades after their formation, Manes remain one of the most uncompromising and unpredictable entities to emerge from Norway’s extreme music scene. To Burn Is To Shine will be released via Avantgarde Music on November 27th, 2026 on CD, LP, digital and in a special limited collectors edition.
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