M (Myrkur album)
M | ||||
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Studio album by Myrkur | ||||
Released | 21 August 2015 | |||
Recorded | December 2014 | |||
Studio | Oak Hill, Subsonic Society & Tomba Emmanuelle, Oslo | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 36:58 | |||
Label | Relapse | |||
Producer |
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Myrkur chronology | ||||
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M is the debut studio album by the black metal project Myrkur, by Danish musician and singer-songwriter Amalie Bruun. Produced by Kristoffer "Garm" Rygg of Ulver, it was released on 21 August 2015 through Relapse Records.[1]
Featuring a black and gothic metal sound,[2] the album melds influences from various genres, including second wave black metal, atmospheric post-metal, gothic, darkwave, Scandinavian folk and classical music.[1] The album was named the Best Hard Rock Album of 2015 by Gaffa.[3]
Critical reception
Professional ratings | |
---|---|
Aggregate scores | |
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 83/100[4] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
Allmusic | [1] |
The Austin Chronicle | [2] |
Consequence of Sound | B[5] |
Exclaim! | 9/10[6] |
Pitchfork | 7.9/10[7] |
Spin | 7/10[8] |
Sputnikmusic | 2.4/5[9] |
Upon its release, M received positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 83, which indicates "universal acclaim", based on 10 reviews.[4] Allmusic's Thom Jurek wrote: "Myrkur's music melds all of her adopted stylistic elements, lets their seams show, and emerges with an innovative, alchemical creation of her own. M expands on black metal's boundaries yet holds its dark, foreboding spirit close."[1] The Austin Chronicle critic Michael Toland stated: "Danish raven Amalie Bruun integrates extreme intensity into both genres' [goth/black metal's] inherent drama."[2] Sean Barry of Consequence of Sound thought that "M doesn’t differentiate itself greatly from the early work of many black metal artists." Barry further added: "The album shines with potential and the promise that a more unique followup waits further down the trail."[5]
Exclaim! critic Natalie Zina Walschots praised the album, writing: "The textures of M are even more finely hewn and interwoven than its predecessor, resulting in a record that is at once profoundly tactile and deeply sensual."[6] Grayson Haver Currin of Pitchfork thought that "on M, Bruun is free and clear of any identity drama—and a much more convincing bandleader for it."[7] Spin critic Colin Joyce stated: "What remains Bruun’s strongest suit is the way she juxtaposes the extremity of her influences." Joyce further concluded: "She comes out of more subdued sections to use blast beats like scare tactics, drops in glacial vocal harmonies as soothing lullabies."[8] The Quietus' Dean Brown was also positive in his assessment of the album, writing: "By conveying the masculine and feminine duality inherent in old musical traditions and modern musical developments, Bruun has composed a truly rewarding record that defies direct categorisation."[10]
Nevertheless, Sputnikmusic's Elijah K. gave the album a mixed review, describing the album's sound as "painfully bland and too on the nose."[9]
Track listing
- "Skøgen skulle dø" — 5:17
- "Hævnen" — 3:23
- "Onde børn" — 4:09
- "Vølvens spådom" — 1:37
- "Jeg er guden, i er tjenerne" — 4:03
- "Nordlys" — 2:15
- "Mordet" — 3:41
- "Byssan lull" — 2:38
- "Dybt i skoven" — 3:09
- "Skaði" — 4:29
- "Norn" — 2:17
Personnel
Album personnel as adapted from Bandcamp.[11]
- Myrkur
- Amalie Bruun — vocals, guitar, piano, production
- Session musicians
- Teloch (Mayhem, Nidingr) — guitar, bass
- Øyvind Myrvoll (Nidingr) — drums
- Ole-Henrik Moe — fiðla, Hardingfele, violin
- Håvard Jørgensen — acoustic guitar
- Tone Reichelt — horn
- Martin Taxt — tuba
- Chris Amott (Arch Enemy) — additional guitar (7)
- Other personnel
- Kristoffer "Garm" Rygg (Ulver) — mixing, production
- Anders Møller — mixing
- Jaime Gomez Arellano — mastering
- Trine + Kim Design Studio — photography
- Orion Landau — design
Chart positions
Charts (2015) | Peak position |
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US Billboard Heatseekers Albums[12] | 11 |
US Billboard World Albums[13] | 1 |
References
- 1 2 3 4 Jurek, Thom. "Myrkur - M". Allmusic. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- 1 2 3 Toland, Michael (14 August 2015). "Myrkur - M (Relapse)". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- ↑ Ole Rosenstand Svidt (3 December 2015). "Gaffa-Prisen: Og vinderne er...". GAFFA. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
- 1 2 "Myrkur - M". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
- 1 2 Barry, Sean (17 August 2015). "Myrkur – M". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- 1 2 Walschots, Natalie Zina (19 August 2015). "Myrkur - M". Exclaim!. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- 1 2 Currin, Grayson Haver (31 August 2015). "Myrkur - M". Pitchfork. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- 1 2 Joyce, Colin (20 August 2015). "Review: Myrkur Is a Light in Black Metal's Darkness on 'M'". Spin. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- 1 2 K., Elijah (25 August 2015). "Myrkur - M". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- ↑ Brown, Dean (25 August 2015). "Myrkur - M". The Quietus. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- ↑ "M by Myrkur". Bandcamp. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- ↑ "Myrkur - Heatseekers chart". Billboard. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
- ↑ "Myrkur - World Albums chart". Billboard. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
External links
- Album stream on Relapse Records channel on YouTube
- M (Myrkur album) at Discogs (list of releases)