In much the same way that an album review should be strictly about the album, a musician should also be judged solely on his or her output. In the case of one-woman black metal act Myrkur, the fact that we do not live in a vacuum is inescapable. Debuting her first full length for Relapse Records only on the strength of one E.P. – which Relapse also put out – it seems that elitist feathers have indeed been rankled; not because the music was created by a woman, but because this individual apparently does not come from a black metal background, nor has she come up 'the hard way' by struggling with release after release before achieving recognition.
Amalie Bruun's first full-length album, entitled simply M, is due to drop in September, and features the co-production skills of Kryss Rygg, aka Garm, of Ulver fame, as well as the drums of Øyvind Myrvoll (Nidingr), and some guitars from Telloch (Mayhem). These fellows aren't exactly known for their contributions to pop music. What with their roots and their credibility being firmly ensconced in black metal's belligerent grave soil, perhaps its time for the bedroom elitists to sit back, relax, and take in what music is on offer from this unique debut, as opposed to crying about the pedigree of its creator. A pedigree, by the way, which sees her warming up her piano fingers with Chopin, as well as playing in an alt-rock band called the Ex-Cops, whose latest album was produced by one Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins). As 'un-black metal' as these things might be, well, if such dark luminaries as mentioned above wish to etch their names into the nascent canon of Myrkur, why on earth would anyone pay the slightest heed to the denouncements and damning of some jealous spoiled brats lurking behind a keyboard?
Now, anybody with a pulse had to have been moved by the aforesaid Myrkur debut E.P. Rarely has such a clash of raw, understated black metal met with vocals so ethereal, lasting in this case for the entire length of the compositions, as opposed to sprinkled here and there throughout a more traditional template. The quality of the E.P. extends beautifully and effortlessly into the full length, where it has been sharpened, honed, and perfected.
"Skogen Skulle Do" opens the album with a choral rush of the multi-tracked, magnificent voice of its creator. Instead of blasting right into the wash of buzzing black metal guitars, the song picks up in a similar fashion to what we have been hearing from Wardruna, with some classical, almost soundtrack-style instrumentation building the tension into a gorgeous composition of dreamy dark metal. The voices soar, lulling the listener into a false sense of security. Like wandering from a well lit path into a forgotten, perilous corner of the wild, the song fades into a discomforting drone replete with eerie laughter and the sense that all is not well. Its no surprise, really. Myrkur is showing early on that it is no one trick pony. The compelling imagery around the album, Bruun's runic 'M' burning in a winter forest, shows us a dark clad, benighted spirit brooding over the pall of modernity that is destroying us all. The sentiment has teeth, strength, and intent – the price of feeling the beauty and power of Nature is to see it within the context of its impending demise. The music on M appears to have this at least partly on its agenda, as the complete mood change within this opening salvo demonstrates.
"Hævnen" comes on with the crunch of metal guitars, slow and full of coiling menace. What follows is a full on blast of icy, incandescent rage that packs more than enough black metal punch for even the most ardent fans. These parts are cordoned off by sections of ghostly vocals and keys, which rather than feeling deliberately put into place, instead simmer in the air like the pause between cracks of a whip upon naked flesh. "Onde Born," by contrast, is a more deliberate progressive piece of dark metal similar in delivery to elder Theatre of Tragedy. Labels and styles be damned, this is some awfully enjoyable music. Bruun's voice is flawless, and her sense of dynamics ensures she never loses the script.
A song like "Volvens Spadom" showcases the pure classical aspect of Myrkur's repertoire. It is a brief clarion of utter beauty, like sunlight shot through ice coated branches at dawn. There are shamanic moments as well, as in "Jeg er Guden, I e Tjenerne," the understated growl of distortion riding beneath those haunting choirs and dreaming voices. The music on M is in places akin to the earlier days of In The Woods, early Green Carnation, as well as the aforesaid Theatre of Tragedy but the mood is not as consistent as with these aforementioned bands. And that is a good thing. Myrkur pushes conventions away, as there are moments on even the most lilting, peaceful parts of the songs where that hidden vitriol peeks out from the gloomy aural understory. The listening experience is enough to make one at once comfortable enough to relax and yet unpredictable enough to keep one on one's toes.
A wondrous piano piece like "Nordlys," as adroit and emotional as anything an old pro like Craig Armstrong has composed, accompanied by the classical music equivalent of scat singing, is reminiscent of the more introspective moments of Enya or Loreena McKennit. Yet the song disperses with a howling of wind, a call to some emptiness we can barely perceive. What immediately follows is the most metal-as-f**k portion of the album. "Mordet" will take the listener firmly back into the cold wash of black metal distortion. The voice that once soothed us is now driving us from the primeval forest, all fangs and talons and the unwelcome terror of being lost and alone in a dark place.
"Byssan Lull" provides just that; a lull from the chaos. Bruun's magical voice riding over her piano nevertheless retains the mood of potential energy alive within the guts of M. Simply another mesmerizing performance, it is sure to enrapture listeners for years to come. "Dybt i Skoven" is probably the most uplifting song on the album, for all its being somewhat shoegaze-y on one hand but nevertheless expelling a mood of triumph more than tragedy on the other. "Skadi" is another scorcher, injecting more lo-fi black metal might into the proceedings. The vocals are scathing, wretched belches of coffin-dark malice, and yet out of the dark springs the light. An uplifting instrumental section midway through gives way to a powerful operatic infusion of sound, in all likelihood more harrowing and radiant than anything you'll have heard in a while.
Ending on a final piano piece called 'Norn,' the emotion and precision of which reaches deep into the soul of the listener, it is clear that the hype and the clamor is warranted and much deserved. This is an even better oration of what the E.P. was attempting to get across, and it is almost mind boggling to consider both the tender age and newness to the extreme metal scene of its creator. To dismiss this record because of the specious, irrelevant claims of the do-nothings who have detracted it is utter foolery. M is a triumph of sound both savage and graceful, created with the utmost care and dedication. Do not miss out.
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