ALBUM REVIEW: Green Lung, "Black Harvest"

 By: Richard Maw
 
Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 22/10/2021
Label: Svart Records
 

“Black Harvest” CD//DD//LP track listing:

 
1. The Harrowing
2. Old Gods
3. Leaders of the Blind
4. Reaper's Scythe
5. Graveyard Sun
6. Black Harvest
7. Upon the Altar
8. You Bear the Mark
9. Doomsayer
10. Born to a Dying World
 
The Review:
 
What do have here?! Well, it appears that we have a band to pin our hopes on. Green Lung have been super active with two albums in as many years. They bring doom, folk, 70s rock and paganism together in a rather heady brew. If the debut “Woodland Rites” was the prototype, this is the finished article. It does everything that the 2019 release did, but more powerfully and with greater clarity.
 
I've been slow off the mark to review this one; I should have been quicker as the band have created a real buzz. They are THE new band on the block and one listen to this LP will let you know why. Lots of references to the old religion, the stones, Woden and fire- and that is just the first two tracks.  “The Harrowing” sets the tone- mystical and magical, ethereal... “Old Gods” is a grooving beast. Equal parts Sabbath and Uriah Heep; mighty riffs, mighty organ work.
 
This record is most definitely for fans of: Jethro Tull, Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep, Deep Purple and onwards into the modern era of Rise Above Records roster (Orange Goblin, Witchcraft, Electric Wizard) and the other current great English rock band, Wytch Hazel.
 
This album is nothing less than a rejuvenation of the underground heavy rock scene. It's sorely needed, as the halcyon years of 2004 to 2010 when Witchcraft and Orange Goblin were riding high at packed out gigs in London are now a long time ago. After that opening one-two punch combination, it's very much what you'd expect; weighty heavy rock with all the right influences in place.
 
Green Lung are gaining some serious traction with all the cool festival slots booked and the crowds waiting for them- even if they had to cancel their appearance at Damnation Festival recently. It's clear that they are going somewhere with their esoteric atmospheres and swirling organ work coupled with varied tempos and a noteworthy weighty production.
 
There are ten tracks here, but the atmosphere is intact throughout and the overall vibe will certainly invoke Stone Henge (in a good way) stone circles (in a general way) and the folklore of the British Isles when the listener plays the album. I note that the band have taken inspiration from the same book that Ian Anderson and Jethro Tull utilised for the seminal “Songs From The Wood” album and it shows here with much drama about graveyard suns, altars, bearing marks and so forth.
 
It's hard to pick stand out tracks as this is all so uniformly good. The lead work throughout is excellent and each of the songs manages to be part of a cohesive whole while maintaining its own identity. 
 
If you wanted a flavour of the band, you could just play “Reaper's Scythe” or “Graveyard Sun”, but really you could pick any track and get a decent idea. Yep, this London band are going places- climb on board now before it's too late and you arrive only in time for the destination. I can't really recommend this record highly enough. Join them. Join me. Welcome to the coven.
 
“Black Harvest” is available HERE

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Thy Catafalque, "Naiv"

By: Thomas Gonzales

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 24/01/2020

Label: Season of Mist

“Naiv” CD//DD//LP track listing:

1. A bolyongás ideje (4:55)

2. Tsitsushka (5:39)

3. Embersólyom (4:17)

4. Számtalan színek (2:34)

5. A valóság kazamatái (5:30)

6. Kék madár (Négy kép) (6:27)

7. Napút (3:48)

8. Vető (8:17)

9. Szélvész (5:36)

The Review:

Self-labeled Avante Garde solo artist Tamas Katai brings yet another evolution to the ever-changing stylings of his opus Thy Catafalque. While not a “band” in the traditional sense, Thy Catafalque’s latest release “Naiv”, is an ensemble of musicians showcasing no less than 10 guest artists. Tamas once again shifts the dynamic of underground metal, covering a wide array of genres, including Black Metal, Folk, Electronic, and even Pop. Under his band’s moniker, Tamas has woven a diverse tapestry of sound, into a colorful exploration of sonic ingenuity, communicating why Thy Catafalque is such a prolific force in the metal consciousness.

Opening strong with the track “A bolyongás ideje”, Thy Catafalque’s roots in Black Metal are put on full display in a hauntingly dark jam, befitting of an extreme metal veteran. However, it isn’t long before the listener is swept up in Hungarian Folk instruments and jazz inspired hooks, shifting seamlessly through various genres, before peaking with electronic sections and Pop sensibilities; then once again giving way to his brand of Blackened Folk Metal. 

Track 8 “Veto” is a whopping 8 minutes long, and begins with a conventional metal hook, but eventually transitions to a chilled-out post rock bop, complete with twinkling synth effects, and droning keyboard tones. It is as frenetic as it sounds, but it is pieces like this that showcase the variety and cultural influences of Tamas’ compositions. Folk drums and flutes weave amongst Hungarian choral singers before ultimately culminating in an intense melodic burst of metal. There’s a little something for everyone, and if you wanted to cover the spectrum of sounds present here-in, this is the track to share.

Getting their start in the late 90s, Thy Catafalque’s current sound is far beyond simple experimentation, “Naiv” is a fascinating study of traditional songwriting paired with Black Metal, that is dynamic and diverse enough to stand out in the field of their Progressive and Avante Garde peers, but it still be enjoyed by their long-time fans seeking something a heavier.

Thy Catafalque do not pretend to create “easy” listening music, but instead stay true to the artistic vision with which they approach each project. This is not an album that someone can pick or choose a single from and find satisfaction, but it is instead meant to be heard as a cohesive concept. While it may take some listeners multiple attempts, those who are vigilant will be rewarded with a unique and fulfilling experience that transcends the scope of conventional songwriting.

“Naiv” is available HERE

Band info: Bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Bhleg - "Solarmegin"

By: Mark Ambrose

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 23/02/2018

Label: Nordvis Produktion

“if you want totally transcendent sacred music, the kind of music that, for good and ill, feels like a field recording of pagan rites, you merely need to tap into the Swedish black metal of Bhleg.”

“Solarmegin” CD//DD track listing

1. Alvstrale

2. Sunnanljus

3. Alyr – Helgedomen

4. Gudomlig gronska

5. Alstrande sol

6. Livslagans flammande sken

7. Kraftsang till Sunna

8. Hymn till skymningen

9. Skuggspel

10. Solvagnens flykt

11. Karleksrit

12. Fro (vaxtlighetens fader)

13. Solens ankomst

The Review:

               

Growing up enmeshed in Catholic belief, you can get a real flavor for the Gothic trappings of ritual.  Frankly, it’s pretty metal when you stumble into the occasional mass that looks like the baptism scene in The Godfather: palpable clouds of incense, pipe organ blaring, a waif singing Ave Maria, and the tortured images of martyrs and messiahs emblazoned in stained glass, marble and gold.  The reality is that most churches now, catholic or otherwise, have gone the Joel Osteen/rad youth pastor route and look like a midlevel convention hall, with modernized “worship pop-rock” to bum you out even harder than the sermons.  Now, if you want totally transcendent sacred music, the kind of music that, for good and ill, feels like a field recording of pagan rites, you merely need to tap into the Swedish black metal of Bhleg.

               

Bhleg’s second full-length, “Solarmegin”, is a grandly romantic, but strikingly naturalist opus of nature-worship.  Sung entirely in Swedish, the 90 minute cycle is as forbidding as any requiem mass, but contains some fundamentally sublime moments, with occasional missteps.  Intro track “Alvstrale” captures the reverence for nature that typifies Bhleg’s output – ambient tones, acoustic fingerpicking, birdsong and folk percussion instruments act as a centering prelude to the harrowing, distorted tremolo assault of “Sunnanljus”.  The rousing gang vocals that occasionally punctuate “Solarmegin” have both a martial and joyous tone – I’m tempted to say “Viking” but it feels much headier than that reductive label.  The mournful tone of tracks like “Alyr – Helgedomen” and “Alstrande sol” only accentuate the emotional dynamics on display; and, with my complete ignorance of Swedish, this is all purely tonal and musical.  But then again I never understood most of the Latin lyrics for church hymns or the Italian (and occasionally German) that formed the structure of most operas, and that never diminished my appreciation for the power behind the words.

               

The major issue at the heart of “Solarmegin”, unfortunately, is the punishing length.  I love delving into a long, enigmatic black metal album, but at 90 minutes, it’s hard to absorb, especially when some of the tracks just feel too long or, in some cases, not up to the same production standards as others.  “Hymn till skymningen” just sounds strangely lo-fi in comparison with the full force, nearly Iron Maiden-esque, bold gallop of “Kraftsang till Sunna”.  “Solvagnens flykt” has a distracting lack of midrange, and “Fro (vaxtlighetens fader)” suffers from a weird midsong rhythm change that doesn’t really work.  These could have been compelling EP tracks later, or been reworked into a second release.  Even the mysterious, folky closer, “Solens ankomst”, goes on just long enough to feel repetitive.  And that’s a real shame because Bhleg are really excellent songwriters and musicians.  There is so much to enjoy here that a few stray tracks can’t diminish my hearty endorsement.  But then again sometimes sacred music is forbidding, difficult, and punishing.  Maybe the duo behind Bhleg is exorcising something beyond my surface reading here.  They’ve certainly captured something unique and moving on this monument to their beliefs, and I’m anxiously awaiting their next journey into transcendent metal worship.

“Solarmegin” is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

ALBUM REVIEW: Myrkur - "Mareridt"

By: Ernesto Aguilar


Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 15/09/2019

Label: Relapse Records

 

Rarely does a recording embody the dynamism of heavy music, while being legitimately artful and musically resplendent, "Mareridt," just happens to be one such album and with it, all your expectations will be exceeded.

"Mareridt" CD//DD//LP track listing

1. Mareridt

2. Måneblôt

3. The Serpent

4. Crown

5. Elleskudt

6. De Tre Piker

7. Funeral (featuring Chelsea Wolfe)

8. Ulvinde

9. Gladiatrix

10. Kætteren

11. Børnehjem

The Review:

What metal fan hasn't had the talk with a friend, partner or acquaintance? You know the talk? It is that moment of judgment. It is at once an inquiry of a sound as it is a question about you are as a person. What attracts you to this howling? Implicitly, because it is less polite, is the query: what in you is broken that prompts you to listen to this?

It is a thematic inquiry too of course. Extreme music's foreboding images and confrontational sound are disquieting for listeners of many other styles of music. Like the ghosts in our stories, the specter of Tipper Gore and the Parents Music Resource Center hangs heavy. For every genuinely curious question, there are three value-laden ones, which probe scarring of listeners to such noxious aural assaults.

Without a doubt, plenty of metal is proudly noxious. The music is by its very definition bellicose. So, when a recording appears that embodies the dynamism of heavy music, while being legitimately artful and musically resplendent, it is singular. Such is the case with the return of Myrkur's new release, "Mareridt."

The one-woman project of multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Amalie Bruun, Myrkur has specialized in the classic sound of black metal with folkloric as well as orchestral flourishes. Bruum's 2014 debut drew much praise for its virtuosity. "M," the 2015 follow-up, saw assists from members of Mayhem, Arch Enemy and Ndingr and received international awards. Buoyed by a live record last year, interest in Myrkur has only grown since "M."

You will have every high expectation exceeded with "Mareridt," Myrkur's latest. Its title is Danish for "nightmare." It is anything but.

With the title track opening the new record, tinges of folk metal with its waves of ceremony and menace wash over your mind. In addition to being a fantastic start to the many moods you catch across 11 tracks; it is simply an impeccably composed song. Outstanding vocals and exemplary instrumentation make it a great beginning, lolling into crisp guitar work of the fast but understated second wave of black metal. Like some other cuts on the recording, such as "Gladiatrix" and "De Tre Piker," the title track sets a blueprint for a blend of metal snarling and otherworldly singing. Many artists have employed this mode of attack over the years. Myrkur just happens to do it exceedingly well.

Back to the talk. To many people, this style of metal is unexpected. For a mainstream that associates most metal with volume and corpse paint, the variants like this will challenge opinions. Most labels and more observant fans recognize the potential for music like this is break boundaries and attract new audiences. Consider the regard for French act Alcest when it surged to prominence in the mid-2000s with a black metal style that engulfed shoegaze and pop strands at points. Having a sound that is at once bold yet divergent is a blessing and a curse, certainly. By "The Serpent," your internal conversation may be quite active, as you may ponder if there is no limit, in truth. It and the following track, "Crown," are easily the most accessible on the album. Both are appreciable for their artistry. They're also unlikely to be considered metal by American hardcore fans or the mainstream. Regardless these cuts, and several other moments, are sure to make you step back, beyond extreme music, and appreciate their creativity and fearlessness.

Myrkur deserves much praise for presenting a fully imagined release, one that goes from gauzy to portent in the blink of an eye. From the efficaciously strong "Funeral," with singer-songwriter Chelsea Wolfe, or the closer, "Børnehjem," a supernatural first-person tale, Bruun is sure to prompt you, and the friends wanting to have the talk, to think about extreme music in a renewed way.

"Mareridt" is available here

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

The Sludgelord Album Premiere - "Calea" by Romania based Pagan Folk Metallers ASHAENA

Romania based Pagan Folk Metallers ASHAENA will release their second full-length album, "Calea" on CD this July 18th via Loud Rage Music.

 

Pre-orders are available here and today at The Sludgelord we are giving you the opportunity to stream it in full below

 

“Calea” CD//DD track list:

1. Tapae 87
2. Calea
3. Tara Berladnicilor
4. Crapat di Cer
5. Spirit-Sageata
6. Zbor Insetat
7. Mos Urs

Band info: facebook | bandcamp

Moonsorrow - ‘Jumalten Aika’ (Album Review)

By: Daniel Jackson

Album Type: Full Length
Date Released: 1/4/2016
Label: Century Media

Moonsorrow has long been one of the more diverse, dynamic, and powerful bands associated with the black metal genre, and ‘Jumalten Aika’ will only build upon that reputation. While it’s certainly a mix of the band’s past and present, it’s also often at times catchy in a way that the band hasn’t always been before. You won’t find an ounce of filler on this album, and for a band predisposed to songs of fifteen-plus minutes, it’s always a remarkable achievement. ‘Jumalten Aika’ eclipses its predecessor, sitting comfortably beside the best albums they’ve ever created.

‘Jumalten Aika’ CD//LP//DD track listing:

1. Jumalten Aika

2. Ruttolehto incl. Päivättömän Päivän Kansa

3. Suden Tunti

4. Mimisbrunn

5. Ihmisen Aika (Kumarrus Pimeyteen)

Moonsorrow is:

Ville Seponpoika Sorvali | Bass, Harsh Vocals

Henri Urponpoika Sorvali | Guitars, Singing Vocals, Keyboard, Accordion, Jew's harp, Recorder, Tin whistle

Marko "Baron" Tarvonen | Drums, Acoustic Guitar

Mitja Harvilahti | Guitar, Harsh Vocals

Markus Eurén | Keyboard, Backing Vocals

The Review:

I don’t think it’s going out on a limb to say that Moonsorrow were one of the great bands of the 00s. Categorizing them as the same for the 10s is not as easy, because they’ve been a lot less active, as their new album, ‘Jumalten Aika’, is the band’s first in five years, and only the second of the decade so far. I also can’t say that absence has made the heart grow fonder because, truth be told, they don’t ever really leave my rotation. Part of that owes to putting out classic material both when they lean heavily toward folk metal, as well as when they lean more toward the black metal end of things. That lends itself to appealing to a number of different moods, and thus a higher likelihood of springing to mind when on the hunt for that “perfect” album for whatever I’m feeling over the course of a given day.

Moonsorrow has long been one of the more diverse, dynamic, and powerful bands associated with the black metal genre, and ‘Jumalten Aika’ will only build upon that reputation. While it’s certainly a mix of the band’s past and present, it’s also often at times catchy in a way that the band hasn’t always been before. A prime example of this would be “Suden Tunti” which, at seven minutes, is as close to Moonsorrow gets to a sprint, rather than a marathon. Beyond featuring one of the most infectious riffs you’ll hear all year, the accompanying drums are positively bouncy. It’ll likely be a shock to the system for anyone used to the band’s stoic and stern approach over the last several albums, but not to anyone familiar with a song like “Kylän Päässä” from the band’s debut. Woven throughout the buoyant drums and memorable guitar work is a host of folk instruments and rousing gang vocals, leading one to suspect the band is having a lot of fun rekindling their romance with folk music, and who could fault a band for that?

Throughout the other songs on ‘Jumalten Aika’, Moonsorrow touch on plenty of familiar sounds and styles, delving more into the folk side of things than they have in years, although they perform those folk elements better than they ever have before. Even at their most joyous, they stop well short of getting too campy (as you might find in a band like Finntroll or Korpiklaani), and there’s still plenty for the black metal purist to sink their teeth into as well.

More than anything,‘Jumalten Aika’ finds Moonsorrow at their most accomplished as songwriters, never letting the extended length of the album’s songs result in a lull. You won’t find an ounce of filler on this album, and for a band predisposed to songs of fifteen-plus minutes, it’s always a remarkable achievement. Still, it’s worth noting that ‘Jumalten Aika’ eclipses its predecessor, sitting comfortably beside the best albums they’ve ever created.

Jumalten Aika’ is available digitally here and on CD/LP here.

Band info: Facebook

Avatarium - 'The Girl With The Raven Mask' (Album Review)

By: Richard Maw

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 23/10/2015

Label: Nuclear Blast

At the end of it all, there is the feeling that you have heard something very unusual, but also very enjoyable. It is not a difficult record to listen to and some of the melodies and imagery conjured up are just sublime. It is most definitely a natural progression from the first record- with a more defined sound and identity perhaps, albeit that the first record was very much its own beast. Certainly, this is doom, but of a different kind and it stands alone in the genre. Simply put: make sure you hear it. It is essential.

‘The Girl With The Raven Mask’ CD//DD//LP:

1. Girl With The Raven Mask (4:11)

2. The January Sea (7:55)

3. Pearls And Coffins (7:03)

4. Hypnotized (6:26)

5. Ghostlight (6:38)

6. Run Killer Run (5:18)

7. Iron Mule (5:50)

8. The Master Thief (6:37)

Avatarium is:

Leif Edling | bass

Marcus Jidell | guitars

Lasse Sköld | drums

Jennie-Ann Smith | vocals

Carl Westholm | keyboards

The Review:

Avatarium, the Leif Eidling project has really gathered pace since the release of their debut a couple of years ago. I reviewed the debut (here) at the time and its enchanting mixture of the murkiest doom and the most enchanting melodies brought fairy tales to aural life. While the music here remains firmly rooted in the realms of Candlemass, the fantastical/melodic elements are just as prevalent this time around, if not more so.

The title track opener is as fine a piece of melodrama that Dio ever committed to tape- seriously; the overwrought vocal is superb as is the music. It is a barnstorming opener akin to perhaps something like “Neon Knights”. ‘The January Sea’ then ramps up the doom, while keeping the sense of drama intact. Again, Jennie Anne Smith's vocal is superbly delivered. Returning to a theme I mentioned in a  recent review, a great and distinctive singer can really set a band apart- and has done so for most of the bands that you revere (apart from ones that are purely genre based, perhaps). The importance of Smith's vocals cannot be overstated as they compliment the melancholic and dramatic music perfectly to produce a unique doom record. The opener is the shortest track at just over four minutes and thereafter the usual tenets of the genre present themselves- all songs over five minutes and most are longer by some distance.

There are elements of 70's rock monoliths like Jethro Tull in the folkish inflections present in some tracks; there are Sabbathian moments of heaviness and moments of drama to rival the most theatrical pieces on ‘Mob Rules’. While I initially mistook the refrain of ‘Pearls and Coffins’ for the words “Persian Coffee,” the track (once that was cleared up) reveals itself to be a rather downcast ballad which again acts a showcase for Smith's voice. The Hammond organ solo is excellent and segues nicely into a musical passage of crashing chords before a dynamic shift. The album does reference the likes of Tull and Wishbone Ash- even Uriah Heap, but it never does so with a purely retro outlook. That marks the difference between Avatarium and myriad other retro rock/occult rock/any- band-with-vintage-instruments-who have enlisted a female vocalist: they have a sound which takes the best parts of their references and makes something new. This is not a retro album or backwards looking in any way.

‘Hypnotized’ again uses keys to good effect as a kind of counter melody (percussion overdubs included, showing thought has gone into the production and vibe of the songs). The riffing fits the classic doom template of being heavy without being aggressive, while the central hook is strong. ‘Ghostlight’ is a perfect winter soundtrack with its snowbound imagery and northern winds; it is a kind of modern cousin to ‘No Quarter’- but with phantoms rather than warriors taking the central role. The structures of most tracks are/can be a little ponderous- the vibe is the thing here, not necessarily economy- but that is true with most doom records. Then again, there are barnstormers such as ‘Run Killer Run’ to break things up with their full on powerful riffing and driving rhythms.

Naturally, ‘Iron Mule’ is as plodding as you might expect from the title, but features some excellent bass work (great sound, incidentally) and a great solo to boot. ‘The Master Thief’ features more darkness and melody and has mainly quiet passages. Indeed, a feature of the record (as with the debut) is the use of dynamics. Rarely does the band just go for all out noise and power- instead tempering things with instrumental breaks and only going full heavy in bursts. The dreamy lyrics again draw on fairytale/mythological imagery to good effect and allows a different dimension to assert itself.

At the end of it all, there is the feeling that you have heard something very unusual, but also very enjoyable. It is not a difficult record to listen to and some of the melodies and imagery conjured up are just sublime. It is most definitely a natural progression from the first record- with a more defined sound and identity perhaps, albeit that the first record was very much its own beast. Certainly, this is doom, but of a different kind and it stands alone in the genre. Simply put: make sure you hear it. It is essential.

‘The Girl With The Raven Mask’ is available here

Band info: official | facebook

Myrkur - ‘M’ (Album Review)

By: Daniel Jackson

Album Type: Full Length

Date Released: 21/08/2015

Label: Relapse Records

At this juncture, Myrkur has proven to be capable of material that is truly special, with the sort of vivid musical imagination welcome in any genre, metal being no exception. What’s most exciting is what an even deeper exploration of this kind of folkish black metal, rich with creativity might yield a couple of years from now.

‘M’ CD//LP//DD track listing:

1. Skøgen Skulle Dø

2. Hævnen

3. Onde Børn

4. Vølvens Spådom

5. Jeg er Guden, I er Tjenerne

6. Nordlys

7. Mordet

8. Byssan Lull

9. Dybt i Skoven

10. Skaði

11. Norn

Myrkur is:

Myrkur | Piano, guitars, vocals

Teloch | Bass & additional guitars

Myrvoll | Drums

Guests:

Ole-Henrik Moe | Íslensk fiðla, hardingfele & violin

Håvard Jørgensen | Acoustic guitar

Tone Reichelt | Horn

Martin Taxt | Tuba

Chris Amott | Additional guitars on "Mordet"

The Review:

When originally sitting down to write this review, the first two hundred-plus words of it came out as an angry tirade directed at anyone expressing the opinion that Myrkur being a woman is a detriment to the music, or are saying anything about “hipster metal” or “metal tourism”. In the interest of addressing the “issue” but not letting it overrun the review I’ll just say that if a woman making metal music bothers you: you’re an idiot. If you’re worried about metal tourism: shut the fuck up. I can guarantee you’ve failed your carefully constructed “metal” persona every day of your life in some way or another just by living your life as anyone would. Enough.

With that out of the way, ‘M’ is an always good and often great album. The improvement between last year’s self-titled EP and this year’s debut full length is substantial. In my review of the ‘Myrkur’ EP last year, I essentially said that while there was promise, Myrkur wasn’t quite “there” yet. With ‘M’, Myrkur arrives fully-realized, and much more well-rounded. It’s by no means a perfect album, but it musically satiates my thirst for music in the style Ulver’s ‘Bergtatt’, which Ulver themselves have no intention of revisiting. That isn’t to discount Myrkur’s own inventiveness and artistry, which is ever-present throughout the whole album.

Some songs work better than others, though I’d still describe the least effective song as above average. At the top of the pyramid, we have “Skøgen Skulle Dø”, which may be the most scintillating opening to a metal album this year. After some light, plaintive choral singing; the song erupts with resounding toms and piercing fiddle. It conjures the sort of roaring atmosphere that so many surgically-recorded folk metal bands seek to capture but clinical production techniques won’t allow.

Another fantastic highlight is “Onde Børn”, which has the strongest Ulver influence of anything on the album. A more accurate assessment might be to say that it shares an adjacent space to Ulver’s music, working a familiar-enough vibe into the song to warrant comparison, but different enough that it can stand proudly on its own. In that sense, it’s in good company alongside "Les Feuilles De L'olivier" from Les Discrets’ debut album ‘Septembre Et Ses Dernières Pensées’. “Mordet”, on the other end of the emotional spectrum, is a snarling and much better-conceived counterweight to the album’s overall tone. Where “Onde Børn” is something of a pleasant musical fantasy, “Mordet” is driven by traditionally bleak black metal songwriting with added musical theatrics. Blast beats, dissonance and rage keep the album from losing steam at the midway point and also serve to keep the album away from treading the same water for too long.

The weaker moments on the album come in the form of songs like “Byssan Lull”.  While they are easy on the ears, they also leave an impression of agreeable filler rather than vital to the whole of the album. Perhaps that was the point. The album is perfectly lean at thirty seven minutes, so perhaps a couple of these two-to-three minute interludes are meant to keep the album over thirty minutes. They’re never really detrimental, but perhaps they might have been better utilized as pieces of the proper songs instead. It might have also been better to make use of the two choice songs from the EP. They could have been used here in place of the aforementioned interludes and had a much greater impact with the richer sound of ‘M’.

Even with a few less-than-memorable moments from a couple of filler tracks, the bulk of ‘M’ contains some of the best material I’ve heard this year. At this juncture, Myrkur has proven to be capable of material that is truly special, with the sort of vivid musical imagination welcome in any genre, metal being no exception. What’s most exciting is what an even deeper exploration of this kind of folkish black metal, rich with creativity might yield a couple of years from now.

You can pick up a digital copy here and a CD/LP copy here.

Band info: Facebook | Instagram