Thoughts on Myrkur's "Mareridt"

As a dedicated Myrkur apologist, the last few years have been a strange journey for me. Unlike Ghost Bath, I can't actually remember a time when I didn't know the woman behind Myrkur was Amalie Bruun, dismissed by some as a "Danish model and pop singer," but better known to fans of underground rap as the creepy falsetto on the hook of Vinnie Paz's "Nosebleed," released with R.A. the Rugged Man back in 2010. But ever since Myrkur was "outed" for the crime of having a life and job outside of black metal, she's been the most controversial figure in the entire genre. If you ask some of the regulars on r/blackmetal, she's a infiltrator and a hack, putting on black metal like a fake patch jacket at a photo shoot. If you ask the true believers, she's one of the most interesting and original musicians in the scene, integrating folk and post-rock in new and interesting ways. Her first album, M, wasn't very different from her excellent debut EP, and tended simply to reinforce already-existing perceptions: she was either a brilliant new artist or a corporate fake making derivative bubblegum black metal for the masses, depending on who you asked.

Then came Mareridt. Based on the singles, "Maneblot" and "Ulvinde," expectations were that Myrkur's second album would be a continuation of the ideas from her first: more folky and melodic, perhaps, but with roots in the black metal tradition nonetheless. That's not what we got.

If Myrkur's first two releases had a weakness, it was their lack of internal cohesion (a sense that the songs on the album could make just as much sense in any order) and related tendency towards musical non-sequiturs (folky songs that violently switched gears into aggressive black metal riffs, etc.) In Mareridt, Myrkur resolved these issues, but created another one in the process: by crafting songs within the songwriting and musical conventions of a single genre, Myrkur released what often feels like a compilation album. There are post-doom songs ("The Serpent," "Funeral"), dark folk songs ("Kaetteren," "Loven"), black metal songs ("Maneblot," "Elleskudt," "Ulvinde") gothic metal songs ("Gladiatrix"), and even a few alt-pop numbers ("Crown," "Death of Days," "Kvendilil"), but no sense of a concrete musical identity. Songs like "Elleskudt" and "Crown" simply don't belong on the same album; the former is a ripping folk metal track with blackened riffs, the latter is strangely evocative of the music of Lana Del Rey with a hint of Evanescence.

In fact, even on some of  the heavier numbers, I found myself comparing Myrkur's vocal performance with Amy Lee of Evanescence and Chibi of The Birthday Massacre, mainly because Myrkur made the very poor decision to perform many of the songs on Mareridt partially or wholly in English. Like it or not, manufactured mystique is part of black metal: one of the reasons people reacted so negatively to the revelation of Myrkur's identity was that a figure who is already famous outside of black metal can never cultivate the sense of mystery that swirls around figures like Wrest, Niklas Kvarforth, or Otrebor. Myrkur's use of her native Danish on her earlier albums gave listeners a sense of distance from the music that they couldn't get from her person. When she sings in English, that distance evaporates, leaving nothing but Amalie Bruun, a thirty-something from Copenhagen who really likes black metal and nordic folk.

It sounds like I'm criticizing Myrkur for being too much of a real person on Mareridt. I guess I am.

But I would be lying if I didn't also say that I was disappointed by the overall direction of Mareridt as well. Too many of the songs don't have anything in common with the beautiful union of nordic folk melodies and black metal frost that I loved in Myrkur's first extended play. "The Serpent" and "Funeral," for instance, are great Jex Thoth songs, but not really what I wanted or expected to hear from a new Myrkur album. "Kvindelil" and "Death of Days" are outtakes from a really cool Lana Del Rey album, but I'm not stitching a Lana Del Rey patch onto my jacket anytime soon.

I freely acknowledge that none of these complaints are faults with the music itself. All of the scooby-doom and alt-pop songs on Mareridt are well-written and have great atmosphere. The same is true of all the folk songs. In fact, there's only one track on the entire record I don't begrudgingly enjoy: Bornehjem, an interlude which features Myrkur giving a bizarre monologue about demons in a little girl's voice. Like much of the record, it feels like it got lost on its way to being on another album; unlike the rest of the record, that other album was probably trash.

Recommended, I guess.

The Thurible's Top 10 Metal Albums of 2015

1. Obsequiae - Aria of Vernal Tombs

It takes a lot for a band in an overcrowded genre like black metal to carve out a sound so distinct that they're instantly recognizable, and even more for that band to move beyond an attention grabbing gimmick to a complete sound. Yet Obsequiae's Aria of Vernal Tombs does both. Combining gorgeous harp interludes with medieval black metal melodies, this album transports the listener to moss-covered ruins and abandoned monastery gardens on the wings of its delicate riffs. Much like Panopticon's Roads to the North did a year ago, this album blew me away with it originality, mastery, and evocative quality. Aria of Vernal Tombs truly is a journey to ages past.

Favorite Track: "In the Absence of Light"

2. Ghost - Meliora

This is it. This is the defining metal act of our generation. Combining doomy hard rock with new-found progressive sensibilities and the same goofy shtick they've been rocking since day one, Meliora finally perfects these Swedish enigmas' formula and delivers one insidious earworm after another. From the triumphant "Spirit" to the equally exultant "Deus In Absentia," Ghost never miss a beat. Whoever Ghost are (I'm not saying some of them show up on this list again, but Tribulation sure sound Ghost-y at times), it's about time the music lived up to the legend. Hail Papa.

Favorite Track: "From the Pinnacle to the Pit"

3. Panopticon - Autumn Eternal

Austin Lunn of Panopticon concludes his three-album love affair with the vast solitude of the Kentucky wilderness in majestic form. On track after track, Lunn captures the beauty and loneliness of dense mountain woods, black lakes and distant white peaks. While Autumn Eternal lacks the bluegrass instrumentation so prominent in Panopticon previous two albums, the rich, post-rock influenced atmospheres are a very welcome addition. As American black metal continues to develop, Autumn Eternal will likely become a touchstone for bands that unite beautiful post-metal melodies with Norwegian black metal's celebration of frost-covered forests glistening on a late autumn night.

Favorite Track: "Into the North Woods"

4. Dead to a Dying World - Litany

It's rare that black or doom metal feels like a work of genius. After all, heavy metal is an unapologetically derivative genre–deeply committed to paying homage and meeting expectations. And while this means that a good black or doom metal band can deliver a dozen solid albums in career, works that completely floor the listener are hard to come by.

That's what makes Litany so special–it's emotional, visceral, masterfully composed, beautifully performed, and most importantly, highly original. There's not a minute of filler on this momentous work, despite its lengthy songs and numerous instrumental passages. Don't let this metal masterpiece pass you by.

Favorite Track: "Eventide"

5. Myrkur - M

I can't deny that Myrkur's first proper album is amateurish at times–some of the transitions are still awkward, and the screamed vocals buried under heaps of distortion and reverb grate just as much as they did on her debut. Yet Myrkur's inexperience is united to an earnestness and a genuine talent for crafting gorgeous atmospheres and melodies that no other black metal band comes close to capturing. Unlike many self-professed "folk" metal bands, Myrkur's integration of Danish carols into black metal feels completely natural, and unlike many recent post-black metal albums, the M doesn't feel like it's being made beautiful against its will. Let the kvltists weep–this Danish model makes more interesting black metal than most scene veterans, and it can only get better from here.

Favorite Track: "Onde Børn"

6. Tribulation - The Children of the Night

The Children of the Night is Tribulation's answer to a black and death metal scene that's forgotten how to make rock music. Like fellow Scandinavian black 'n' rollers Kvelertak, Tribulation infuse their aggressive sound with punk energy and big hooks, producing extreme metal that's surprisingly listenable and even fun. Unlike Kvelertak, however, Tribulation still deliver plenty of black metal menace and theatrics (not unlike another spooky Swedish band that made this list) with their evident love of classic horror and church organs. Heavy metal you can hum along to is back from the dead.

Favorite Track: "Melancholia"

7. Windhand - Grief's Eternal Flower

I'm embarrassed by how little time I spent listening to this album this year, but what few listens I squeezed in left a huge impression. As the 2010s doom metal revival and corresponding hipster fascination with the genre appears to be winding down, Grief's Eternal Flower likely represents the best of doom metal to come–slow, crunchy, and heavy on melody. There's nothing particularly innovative about Windhand, but this album encapsulates all the best elements of the doom revival, from the haunting vocals to the lumbering drum marches and bluesy riffs. In the year of uplifting black metal, doom got even more gloomy.

Favorite Track: "Forest Clouds"

8. Liturgy - The Ark Work

I really, really wanted to hate this album. It's pretentious, pompous, self-important music made by pretentious, pompous, self-important people for a pretentious, pompous, self-important listening public.

Turns out I'm pretentious, pompous, and self-important too, because I can't stop listening to this ungodly smörgåsbord of trendy hipster tripe.

Favorite track: "Reign Away"

9. Elder - Lore

I've heard Elder described as what you would get if prog band from the seventies had been introduced to Mastodon by a meddling time traveler. It's not a bad comparison–Elder combine modern stoner rock's penchant for rugged riffage with the innovation and ponderous song constructions of 70s prog. By injecting high-energy heavy metal into prog rock's meandering opuses, Elder makes their 10-minute apiece songs surprisingly approachable and brings a much needed straightforwardness to a genre notorious for what is essentially musical wankery. There's still plenty of shredding and possibly drug-induced weirdness, but it comes in a package fans of both Rush and Pallbearer should appreciate.

Favorite Track: "Compendium"

10. Ghost Bath - Moonlover

So Ghost Bath's "depressive black metal band from Chongqing" turned out to be a mix of branding and black metal blogs getting carried away. So what? These North Dakotans (spoiler alert) still play some of the best post-black metal around, and Moonlover is a step up from their already excellent debut. If a good sophomore album is more of the same (but better), Moonlover hits all the right notes: more bittersweet melodies, more desperation, more lonely interludes, and much better shrieks–the only major weakness on Funeral. Don't dismiss this controversial act–they're more than Deafheaven in yellowface.

Favorite Track: "Golden Number"