Myrkur - Mausoleum



Good day waveriders.  A few weeks ago I wrote a review of an EP from a band with the name Iron Magazine.  In that review I described a song as "haunting" due to the fact that it came unbidden into my mind on a regular basis.  Today I'd like to discuss music that is also haunting, but in a completely different manner to what I described before.  Yes, today I'd like to highlight the latest release from Myrkur entitled Mausoleum.

A couple of years ago a friend of mine informed me that I needed to listen to an artist he had just discovered named Myrkur.  This friend of mine was decidedly into black metal.  I therefore believed I had a reasonable idea as to what to this new artist would sound like.  Suffice it to say, I was wrong.  What I expected was standard fare black metal.  What I actually heard was complex music which used black metal's framework and proceeded to add multiple layers of folk music and melodic content on top to create a wonderful, enjoyable new sound to my ears.

Now we come to Mausoleum.  This album shares songs with Myrkur's previous work, but that's where the similarities end.  Instead of promoting harsh metallics and dissonance Mausoleum is an incredibly intimate, ethereal experience.  In a word, this record is haunting.  It is hauntingly beautiful music.  Myrkur's voice is sublime and otherworldly.  Also, although the music is entirely acoustic it doesn't lack for power or impact.  The fact that this is a live recording inside an actual mausoleum (hence the album title) increases my appreciation of this recording immensely.  Every vocal and instrumental element sound flawless.

To sum up Myrkur's Mausoleum is a stunning collection of music that will add aural beauty anywhere it is played.  Ignore the fact that these are originally black metal songs and the lyrical content is surely rather dark.  As long as you stay away from Google Translate waveriders you will be able to blissfully enjoy these phantasmal compositions.  I'm joking of course.  Do whatever you want, just make sure you experience this extraordinary album!

-Penfold


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