Myrkur
Self-Titled
Relapse Records
Street: 09.16
Myrkur = Agalloch + Darkthrone

Myrkur—Icelandic for “darkness”—is making waves in the black metal community. All we know of this mysterious act is that a single Danish woman has created a gorgeous atmospheric black metal album, which is apparently controversial, because what would black metal be without its constant bitching about authenticity spiced with a little misogyny? For real, though, this album is beautiful—a mixing of familiar elements into a new, feral creation. The lo-fi hellscreech of second-wave black metal is combined with soaring chamber choir vocals, weaving melodies of Celtic, Nordic and medieval descent. The mixing creates an interesting dichotomy between the bell-clear warmth of the clean vocals and the grating, faraway chaos of the instruments and screams. The transitions aren’t always as smooth as I would like, but it is interesting listening nonetheless, providing emotional visions of deep nature, dead gods and lands that have never been tamed. –Megan Kennedy