Myrkur - M (2015)

This is a piece I wrote five years ago when Myrkur released her debut album M, through Relapse Records. During the period 2014 - 2015 there was a lot of talking around this project and especially their initial self-titled EP, there was still a lot of mystery surrounding it so the actual first full length was a bit of a big deal. The following was more of a rant, a series of thoughts I had for the record and its conditions, unfiltered and not written down as proper text, but more like a reaction. I hadn't posted it here then and it's interesting to read it in retrospect, half a decade later with more Myrkur material to contemplate upon. 

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A new Myrkur release inside 2015 was a given in my mind, when I was thinking of upcoming releases back in the beginning of the year. With the ridiculous amount of promotion this project got when the debut, self-titled EP was released in 2014, it was only reasonable to continue and bring together a full album while the news are hot. It seems like this Danish woman managed to draw the attention of the whole metal scene and with her brainchild “M”, all the hype and the fame is put to the test.

The record contains eleven new compositions and a total length of thirty six minutes of music, sticking to Danish titles instead of English, as in the EP. It was produced by Ulver's Garm, a person who has stayed close to the band from the start and naturally, Myrkur remind of Ulver a lot. I would not hesitate to say they reach the magnificence of Ulver's early discography, but it is in the same spectrum and that's good for the fans. The core of “M” is it's atmosphere, which is built by ambient sounds, ethereal vocals and the slow-paced guitar melodies. One can understand the essence of the record if one looks at Amalie Bruun's musical roots. She has stated that she grew up with classical and choral music, and how “M” is a combination of classical music and the traditional black metal feels of nature, mountains and forests, rivers and fogs. So, if you can imagine spending time alone in the forests of Denmark, this could easily be the soundtrack of the adventure. Being a pianist as well, there are a lot of moments of keyboards around the album too.

What seperates it and makes the sound distinctive is definitely the vocals. There are multi-layered choral vocals everywhere, much more often than the harsh black metal screams and I believe it's what characterizes the album and the musician behind it. There are tracks with vocals only, like “Vølvens spådom” and “Byssan lull”, which combines her supernal voice with a soft piano line. Apart from Garm, there are other famous musicians involved in the record, like Teloch from Mayhem and Øyvind Myrvoll from Nidingr. In “Mordet”, which is one of the most direct metal tracks of the record, no other than Christopher Amott of Arch Enemy did some of the guitar parts. “M” is mostly middle paced and it's guitar lines are close to post-black metal and a bit of doom, at some points and some riffs. It's soft and dreamy for the most part. It flows naturally, even when it gets angrier, like in parts of the first two tracks or in the penultimate, “Skaði”. The outro is a melancholic and lovely piano piece that I absolutely enjoyed.

However, after spending time on it, it hasn't quite settled and it hasn't left me impressed. It's not like the times when you listen to Wodensthrone and you feel it in your bones, you feel like “yes this is atmospheric pagan black metal”. It is one of the times that you are baffled by a band's reputation compared to their music. Myrkur are already an act everyone knows and when you listen to the music, you know it's Myrkur for sure. Amalie has fused her tastes perfectly and she has created a wonderful, easy-listening record that praises, above all, nature and many people will be blown away. In hindsight though, I'm not sure if I myself am completely convinced with the result. Some elements are somehow rudimentary (like some of the guitar ideas) and it holds a position where, it unfolds a bit of a more violent side with excellent screams but then again focuses on the melodic, clean atmosphere. I would like more intense black metal in the record and the record itself demands it at times. With it's strong moments, it also has other parts where it's just generic.

I was frustrated with the way Relapse treated Myrkur, giving them so much push everywhere with advertisements, mini movies and bold statements like “the future of black metal”. Really? This is surely NOT the future of black metal. I would label the band being much of black metal either, apart from a couple of aforementioned tracks, since the influences from atmospheric, classical and folk music are stronger in my opinion. In fact, this is less black metal than Myrkur was in the EP. Amalie's music is unrestrained and tricking fans into believing this is black metal does not stand well for me. It was all about a mysterious female nymph living in the woods and creating music, for some time the world didn't know her identity and I felt like it was all an income driven manipulation for the metal listeners.

With the explosion of atmospheric black metal the recent years (and many bands being born for this reason only, sadly I don't know if Myrkur come from that basket yet) I'm gonna be mentioning again and again the French act Alcest, because they should finally get the attention they deserve. As for Myrkur, I think “M” is a “proper” album that fits its purpose and will get solid feedback. Many people, and most of them outside black metal or even metal, will totally dig its content. Then again, I don't consider it a groundbreaking record and the next big thing. I will recommend it around for people to see for themselves and I have picked standout tracks like “Skøgen skulle dø” and “ Skaði” but that's about it. The story of a “black metal girl” reaching the stars of the metal world with her music black metal is nice indeed, but I would not approach the record like that. At all. 

It would have been much more fruitful for her to go full neofolk and release a purely acoustic record of some sort, without any metal elements. 

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I'm quite happy to see that last sentence actually came true now in 2020, with Myrkur's latest release Folkesange. In a few days, M will turn five years old and whether it will still stand in some time from now (or if it is even standing now) is something for you to think about.

Listen to M:

Ifing - Against this Weald (2014) Review

Album | Against this Weald
Country | United States
Genre | Atmospheric / Pagan Black Metal
Label | Blood Music

Mythology can be really inspiring and Ifing are a living example of the matter, as they are mainly influenced by Scandinavian tales without themselves originating from there. The band's debut and only release so far Against this Weald revolves around concepts like that and consists of three tracks with a total length of thirty six minutes, during which the listener goes through a variety of atmospheric / folk sounds.

The record was nicely produced and gives a nice sound to the compositions, which are carefully combining folk with black metal in the vein of classic bands like Viking-era Bathory and Agalloch. The two guys behind Ifing have played together before in a short lived melodic death metal band, meaning they're no strangers with each other's songwriting and that is obvious in Against this Weald, which is well written and intriguing.

The opening track is a four minute instrumental, which is simplistic and dark, synth driven ambient, containing melodies that can be found in styles like dungeon synth, setting the mood for the album. Since Against this Weald has three tracks only, the introduction is equally important, unlike other occasions when intros / outros are quickly skipped. After that, there are two main tracks  lasting thirteen and eighteen minutes each, which contain most of the band's musical ideas.

“The Stream” starts off with a pounding guitar melody that reminds a lot of the American atmospheric black metal scene, provoking the same aura around the record as well. There are legit whispering / screaming vocals and various acoustic guitar parts, as well as samples with sounds of nature, offering the track the diversity is needs to keep the attention going. The band isn't scared to use clean vocals too in some moments, which are also really satisfying.

Along with the intense black metal, the folk sound is achieved mainly with keys like that in the first minutes of the long “Realms Forged” as well as the ending of the song, synth lines reminding a little bit of Summoning. The acoustics are melodic and approach the style of Enslaved, constructing a distinctive but not replicated sound for the record and the band. Musically, Against this Weald aches for atmospheric synths and riffs, as well as calm parts and sufficient ambiance, in a familiar but pleasing way whatsoever.

Ifing's first offer is a good sign of the band's intentions and presents notable work for fans of the genre. The band isn't experimenting with unused sounds in their music, knowing very well what they aim for and succeeding in creating it. Even if I wasn't comfortable with the album's structure at first, which looks incomplete at first, the content is great on it's own anyway.

DAMAGE: [7.5/10]

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Graveland - Thunderbolts of the Gods (2013) Review

Graveland "Thunderbolts of the Gods"

Summer 2013, No Colours Records

Official Website

Graveland have walked away from the raw black metal path they used to follow back in the mid nineties, with a sound more towards pagan/viking metal nowadays. To be sincere, i have not listened to a single record by them after "Creed of Iron" but after seeing this hysterical trailer, i decided to listen to the new album. I kept in mind that disappointment is possible.

To begin with, the length of the songs is the regular Graveland usually pulls out, moving around 7 and 9 minutes, putting the album at a convenient total time of 42 minutes as a whole. The music is based on the atmosphere so there is no rush needed, he takes his time to present each piece with patience. As for the cover, it is artistic and as pagan as it should be.

I can't say Darken has improved his skills on the guitar or drums, but he can sure compose great epic metal, that's what this album is all about. As for the vocals, i naturally prefer the hollow screams of his first albums and not the gargling burps he does now, still i was not turned off by them. In fact, i think they fit better with this new style of mid-paced calm music he plays. Even if it seems like he boosts up the speed at some points, he really isn't. The production of the album is satisfying, in terms of the sounding purity, no instruments were left out.

A major element of the album is the keyboards. It brings up the ancient times that Darken is so nostalgic for and it adds a great flavor to the songs. Anything, from synths to chanting vocals, is used here very carefully to colour the otherwise dim compositions of the album. He has always been using keys for his albums from the early days, but now they are given more attention since its not straight forward black metal anymore. Its not as hateful and sharp as i remember either, he focuses more on a pure worship of paganism. There is a somehow wailful composition named "Chambers of Wicked Tears" that depicts this change, which is an amazing song as well.

This album is also full of gorgeous riffs, with efficient melody and old school grimness, combined with the synths and the vocals. Look out for the guitar lines in the second half of "Wolf on the North", in the middle of "Red Polaris" and in "Possessed by Steel". They are not hard to play, and solely not innovative, but as a whole they create an awesome vibe and atmosphere of a different time, it succeeds in creating the appropriate feelings as it was meant to create. There is a profound consistency in each track of the album, meaning that it has no weak spots or vulnerable moments.

There is always an ideological background that holds Graveland albums together and fuels them with inspiration. Even though his appearance and photos are theatrical to the unaware viewer (theatrical used with a negative meaning), he has not changed his views since he first started and he pretty much keeps his own way. The music itself, at least for this album, is interesting.

DAMAGE: 7.5/10

Helrunar & Árstíðir Lífsins - Fragments - A Mythological Excavation (Split, 2013) Review

Helrunar & Árstíðir Lífsins "Fragments - A Mythological Excavation"

Summer 2013, Ván Records/Prophecy Productions

Physical Needs

Helrunar and Árstíðir Lífsins not only share a common member, the singer, but also recount stories and events of similar themes, like nature, paganism and mythology. It has been a couple of years since we have last heard of each band, so a new anything is pleasing, let alone a split that contains new material from both bands. The release is also a collaboration between each band's label, Ván Records and Prophecy Productions. These labels are selective when it comes to band signing and that is the reason they only have amazing bands in their rosters.

The music of an album is not the only aspect that describes its quality, especially in metal, thats why most of the fans seek the ideology or concept of the bands they like and never stay for the music and only. As the title explains, this split is indeed a mythological excavation, that makes it even more beautiful, when one knows what the bands are referring to. The artists here have taken a small bit of the Greek and Scandinavian mythology and recite it in their own unique way. I was already familiar with the Greek tale (we have been taught the specific story at school) but had to search for the other one, which was also notably interesting.

Helrunar's subject is a part of the Homeric Tales, two capacious poems called "Odyssey" and "Iliad", counting 12221 and 15692 lines each, respectively. The specific incident they describe here is taken from Odyssey, which describes the journey of the hero Odysseus as he tries to return home, but faces all kinds of obstacles, since he is hated by the Gods for some of his past actions. At that point, he is trapped in a cave of an one-eyed giant with his crewmates, that keeps them there and eats one every day. Odysseus decides to offer wine to the giant, he drinks it and loves it. A while after, he is dazed by the sweet nectar and falls asleep, and then he is pierced through his only eye with a giant spear. He wakes up screaming and blind, Odysseus and the rest of the party grab the giant's sheep and stay under them while they move out of the cave, and that's how they escape. The giant's name was Cyclops or Polyphemus and the song title can be translated as "Wine for Polyphemus".

Árstíðir Lífsins take us to a different time and different location, way norther to Scandinavia. Their musical composition is strongly influenced by a poem called "Vafþrúðnismál" (and i have no idea how to pronounce it), part of a collection of Old Norse poems with the name "The Poetic Edda". In that poem, Odin asks Frigg whether to go at Vafþrúðnir's hall or not, and he is adviced against the idea, since Vafþrúðnir is a very fierce giant. Despite that, Odin heads for the hall and there plays the game of wisdom contest with the giant, which ends up to be a win-or-die competition. In the end, Odin asks a question that only he knows the answer, what did Odin say to Baldr's ear before his placement to the funerary ship. That is when Vafþrúðnir finds out about the identity of his opponent, and admits defeat.

Having read about all these, i went into the music itself. Helrunar hired the greek singer Hildr Valkyrie for additional vocals, specifically the chants that can be heard at the beginning and ending of the song. There is an ode close to the greek rhapsody style with the actual lines of Homer in ancient Greek, even though the band is from Germany, they managed to pronounce the words almost perfectly. After this three minute introduction, there is a mysterious melody with a clean/acoustic guitar, that opens the way to Helrunar's destructive black metal. It explodes with powerful riffs and vocals, fast paced drums and an awesome sound. There is more clean vocal narrating in between the intense moments of the track, that varies melodies throughout its fifteen minute length. Not tiring at all and very well crafted it is, it had me hooked the whole time. It finishes as silently and elegantly as it starts, with the voice of Hildr Valkyrie and pounding waves as a background.

The second and final track by Árstíðir Lífsins lasts nineteen minutes and it is about as flawless as the first. Their lyrics are fully Icelandic, and after a calm intro begins a monologue with deep clean vocals. As it continues, the instruments embrace the voice and lead the way to tremendous screams and howls. The track contains multiple violins, cellos, choirs, keyboards and acoustic moments, as the band consists of many people that commit themselves to each instrument. Transferring the song in its mother language leaves it unspoiled and even though I don’t understand the meaning without translation, it does have its own potent vibe. Due to the variety of instruments and singers, it is more musically enriched than Helrunar’s track, even though both tracks are remarkably good. It closes with a three minute melancholic outro, almost nostalgic of a long forgotten era of swords, magic and paganism. Árstíðir Lífsins have constructed a great atmosphere that is present during the whole synthesis, making it of grand musical merit.

Definitely one of the best albums I’ve heard this year, both for the music and the subject. Helrunar’s approach aimed straight to my heart, for the great story they chose to represent and their support to my country, whereas Árstíðir Lífsins dominated the second part of the listen with one of the most amazing songs of that length that I have heard lately, since Agalloch’s Faustian Echoes. This split is overwhelming.

Fuck materialism.

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DAMAGE: 10/10

Graveland - Carpathian Wolves (1994) Review

Origin: Poland
Genre: Pagan / Raw Black Metal
Label: No Colours Records

The debut album of Graveland clearly smells of the rotten underground scene of its time. Listening to it, im happy that i wonder if it was recorded in a bathroom or in a studio, the sound is fucked up on purpose. There is a lot of sloppy work in this album, i still think something hateful was meant to be written, this or they had no money to record an album. I don't even think its negative. So, as the album progresses, you either hate Christianity or yourself for putting yourself in this situation, mission accomplished.

The reissued version i own contains some songs from a rehearsal in 1993 and a bit of different artwork from the original (different fonts, the main art is the same in the front cover). If you also know how to wield a sword and spend time in the woods, if you think black metal is serious business with a true mission and purpose, you will be good friends with Rob Darken and this is a must for you. They later went to viking / pagan metal, or something like that, not my cup of tea. Torn out black metal is my cup of tea. Im glad i have this.

DAMAGE: [8.5/10]

Kawir - Arai (2005) Review

Origin: Greece
Genre: Pagan Black Metal
Label: Solistitium Records

Im back from vacation. And of course, once again i don't have my collection with me. I found this at a local store, i was going to buy and Antaeus album but it turned out to be more expensive than i thought, then i almost bought an Aborted vinyl which was relatively cheap, ended up with this in my hands, i can say i don't regret it. I want to own an album or two of some specific bands whatsoever.

 Arai is a good album. It has that pagan feeling even though i would not describe it as pagan black metal, they have these lyrics in ancient greek, they have the artwork and everything. The latest 2 albums are the best to me, but this one too has some nice prayers.

The truth is that Kawir never intrigued me, except from the latest album in 2012. However, they are significant and have stayed underground, so there is support for that only.

DAMAGE: [5.5/10]

Drudkh - Blood In Our Wells (2006) [Reissue 2010]

Drudkh "Blood In Our Wells"

2006, Season of Mist (Saturnal Music)

Facebook / Myspace

Another band with special musicians, and very energetic too, several other bands and side projects. Drudkh are classic in the business and every metalhead into black metal has at least once listened to them, i doubt the ones that don't like them are many either. 

They are excellent band and this album is an example. The reissue here is done by Season of Mist, just with a new cover (there are no remastered or bonus songs), it was originally released under Saturnal Music.

Eternal Helcaraxe - To Whatever End (2010) [EP]

Country: Ireland
Genre: Pagan Black Metal
Label: Self-released
Website: Facebook / Myspace

Ireland has never failed when it comes to metal bands, ive found plenty of irish artists that worth more than just a listen and Eternal Helcaraxe is one of them.

This is atmospheric black metal with an elegant approach to the pagan theme, it has some epic elements and they're not ripping of other black metal bands just to sound like them.

I contacted the band back when this was out and they sent it over for free, i was grateful, then i heard that they signed to Abyss Records for their full length, and it felt like justice was done. Great black metal here.