Craig Manga's experimental, electronic surges are most invigorating, uplifting and on occasion, disturbing. They'd likely give the Frankenstein Monster a hardy jolt, not only via sound, but in the pure monsterized emotions they instill.
Under the heading, Mangabros, Manga's compositions are, in truth, culled from a cloaked narrative, which (per what the artist has whispered in my ear) deals with a mysterious man devoid of memory, fingerprints, hair or eyes. However, he does sport a cryptic, crimson "Z" on his chest. I think it's safe to say he wasn't slashed by Zorro, but all the same, what is he (and this emblem) exactly? Is he a branded, zombie variant, perhaps? No, he must be more than that (and more than just some big, fat "zero"), but if he belongs among us, what's his purpose ... his plan... his reason for being?
I suppose, it's anyone's guess (though I ponder what "Z" might be if it were turned on its side--hint, hint), but if one digs deep enough into Mr. Z's genesis, one will discover that he crawled from out a nuclear-test site and as a consequence of that radioactive plunge, gained luminous properties, including a most peculiar type of sperm (oh, my!).
Not much is known of the woman with whom he choose to fornicate (whether she was willing or adverse to his advances). Nonetheless, the two conceived a most remarkable daughter, Nada, yet unborn, but with the uncanny ability to transmit reveries into our world: some spiritual; some solid; some part of our mad, shared psyche. When one listens to Deepfleshred, one is, I believe, absorbing the results of Nada impetuous fancies.
Incidentally, the Mr. Z/Nada mythology was introduced by Manga in Soulcoalblack and will be ultimately continued in Shivacrowback next year, but for the glorious here and now, Manga's father/daughter dynamic sways both ways with his latest, Deepfleshred, which acts as a two-part epic: one called "Mars", the other "Venus".
No matter which edition one listens to, the tracks create images as creatively radioactive as those of father/daughter: visions reminiscent of '50s cinema, where colossal men and beasts roamed the hills and streets, causing as much delight as they did panic. Wasn't that the underlying intent of those jubilant, science-gone-wrong movies, anyway? Well, that's the way Manga's lyrics and music make me feel ... perceive ... imagine.
The "Mars" entries arguably represent a harsher (perhaps more pessimistic) view than those of "Venus". As I listened, I initially imagined the plasma-pumping, tendril-flopping anomalies of "Akira" mating with the psychedelic tones and freakish inhabitants of "Angry Red Planet". That need to break free, therefore, to spread beyond one's confines, to crawl from out one's restrictive space (to get back home, while knowing there is none), became a suffocating sensation.
Eventually, my perceptions changed to something more or less earthbound. It was from this point that I envisioned a parade of H-Men and Human Vapors, their hazy heads hung low in shackled sadness and defeat, fading only to make room for a queue of gargantuan manifestations, which tracked our dear Mr. Z from out the shiny slime. I marched along with these Atom Age misfits, vicariously experiencing their rage as they crushed and mutilated anyone who dared stand in their lumbering (though ill-fated) path.
For what it's worth, the "Venus" entries are no less haunting, but in their placid, "Twin Peaks" styling, they offer a promise for harmonious weirdness: compatible, soothing songs that spark an ebbing of numbed consciousness and of course, their countering deviations. Think of pretty Mothra, on either a good or bad day, wings flapping, fairies singing, buildings crashing melodiously onto the crumbling ground. That's what Deepfleshred's "Venus" invokes: a beautiful shell, but with a hard, cruel heart, just itchin' to crack.
In fueling these emotional concepts, Manga's creations are accompanied by visiting artists/singers/performers: Glen Manga; Paul Manga; Johnny Manga; Tim Manga; Jim Beaulieu; Jade Lee Saxelby; Yiki Tong; Rachel Gaskin-Whitrod; Kami Hall; Cheryl Janzen; Hanna Yli-Tepsa; Jumble Hole Clough; Microchip; and Lee Saxelby. Also on board, supplying much of the meat and potatoes, are Ian Cahill; Colin Robinson; Belial Pelegrim; Marina Vesic; John Ellis; Joshua Pearson; Harold Nono; Uncle Pops and the Dumbloods; Will Foster; John Peacey; and Michael Ferentino (of Bedtime for Robots), whom my readers know from previous reviews (e.g., "Filthy Gods in the Age of Exquisite Machines": Oct '17). These exemplary musicians and vocalists maximize Manga's fantastic flair for the dramatic, much in the way that Rod Serling's supplemental writers did for "Twilight Zone". The result--nothing short of sublime.
Beyond question, Manga's "Mars" and "Venus" complement each other to make one marvelous whole, but at the same time each subtitle stands as an individual journey. Their linking atmospheres, however, present a symbolic view of all the fleshy fringes and bloody holes that malformed monsters make. It's a mammoth concoction that's layered, shredded and displayed for all to enjoy in that special, Andy Warhol way. In other words, Deepflashred is a wicked work of art, placed before us on a large, silvery plate, waiting to be devoured by our eager interpretations, but throughout it all, it's still art, no matter how one slices, dices or labels it.
I believe Manga would embrace this point of view, for his double-set offerings are too varied to pigeonhole, even with the guiding Mr. Z/Nada narrative. No matter how one consumes the contents, Deepfleshred and its audible mutants are ideal for anyone anchored by eclectic taste or a yearning to escape. So prick up your ears and extend a clammy hand: Mr. Z and Nada are more than happy to take you along their mystic ride.
Deepfleshred's "Venus" can be downloaded today at ... https://itunes.apple.com/gb/album/deepfleshred/1247388689.
The "Mars" portion will make its debut on Black Box Recordings on Dec 1: https://blackboxrecordings.bandcamp.com/.
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