Band:	Magane
Album:	Beginning At The End (Yomotu Nolito)
Style:	Black metal
Website:	http://magane.org/
Release date:	2006
A review by:	Marcel Hubregtse

01. Life Eternal Torture Eternal
02. Blasts Of Grim Wind (Magatu Kaze)
03. Drink To Death (Woloti)
04. Tsunami Of Blood
05. Worship The Most Ancient (Miwa)
Suite: Beginning At The End (Yomotu Nolito)
06. Tree: Born Alone (Tak Ama No Fala)
07. Fire: Fire Over The World (Takatu Fo)
08. Metal: Taste My Curse (Kam Yalafi)
09. Water: Swallowed In Black (Kam Sali)
10. Earth: Beginning At The End (Yomotu Nolito)

Yes, from the Land of the Rising Sun, so expect some off-beat weirdness to assault your blackened ears. Magane themselves claim to play Yomi metal. Which according to their website is influenced by black metal but whose philosophy and melodies are influenced by ancient and traditional Japanese cultures. As I do not speak or understand any Japanese besides the obligatory "konichiwa" I cannot vouch on the part of the philosophy behind the lyrics. But hearing the music being influenced by Japanese cultures one must strain their ears very very very hard. A regular listener who has never been exposed to music from Japan or other far eastern countries might have a problem discerning the melodies and think of it as just being weird for weirdness sake.
Although having grown up in the far east myself and having been exposed to loads of Chinese and Japanese music, both traditional and pop, even I have problems as not to dismiss this as off-key chaotic unfocused and disconnected music.
But after listening to the album over and over again it is starting to make sense. Okay, so you have to put loads of effort in it but then you get a band which will probably someday soon hit us with a genre masterpiece. My advice to Magane is: Stay focused like in Water: Swallowed In Black, and Tree: Born Alone where the chants work extremely well and put a bit of much needed eerieness into the music.
It's a shame that the piano isn't employed on the foreground more often, although kitsch most of the time they somehow work for me, which can't be said about the furious old-school thrash riffs, which at times gives the music too much of an old-school blackened thrash feel whereas it is in fact more a post modern avantgarde culturally inspired free form of black metal somewhere in that parallel freaked out universe alongside fellow countrymen Sigh.
Considering this piece of work is originally from 2003 and re-released in 2006 I am eagerly anticipating new work by them.
Until that time I will play this album over and over again until it finally all makes sense to me. Or will I be in an asylum by the time that happens? Who shall tell?

Rating this album is nigh to impossible for it varies from listen to listen. But as for now I will give it a 7.4 overall for it is an above average album but with its flaws and a lot of potential brooding there waiting to be hatched.