The band's earlier works, up to and including Under Ein Blodraud Maane (1999), were somewhat atypical Norwegian black metal and were highly lauded by fans of the genre.
However, as of Vilosophe (2003) and How the World Came to an End (2007) the band completely changed its sound to a hybrid of jazz, trip hop, electronica and metal with clean sung vocals and many progressive overtones.
[citation needed] In 2011, the band released an official statement on their web site that they were calling it quits due to health and family reasons.
A few experimental lineups, Manes settled as a two-man band, with Sargatanas doing the vocal duties and Cernunnus doing the rest of the instruments.
[4] In 2007, Manes released the web ep Deprooted and the album How the World Came to an End via the British label Candlelight Records.
The reviews for How the World Came to an End were good, and the band gained a lot of attention, but no concerts were played in the wake of the release.