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M (Myrkur album)

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Untitled

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
SourceRating
Metacritic83/100[4]
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
The Austin Chronicle[2]
Consequence of SoundB[5]
Exclaim!9/10[6]
Pitchfork7.9/10[7]
Spin7/10[8]
Sputnikmusic2.4/5[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

  1. "Skøgen skulle dø" — 5:17
  2. "Hævnen" — 3:23
  3. "Onde børn" — 4:09
  4. "Vølvens spådom" — 1:37
  5. "Jeg er guden, i er tjenerne" — 4:03
  6. "Nordlys" — 2:15
  7. "Mordet" — 3:41
  8. "Byssan lull" — 2:38
  9. "Dybt i skoven" — 3:09
  10. "Skaði" — 4:29
  11. "Norn" — 2:17

Personnel

Album personnel as adapted from Bandcamp.[11]

Myrkur
Session musicians
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
US Billboard Heatseekers Albums[12] 11
US Billboard World Albums[13] 1

References

  1. ^ a b c d Jurek, Thom. "Myrkur - M". Allmusic. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Toland, Michael (14 August 2015). "Myrkur - M (Relapse)". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  3. ^ Ole Rosenstand Svidt (3 December 2015). "Gaffa-Prisen: Og vinderne er..." GAFFA. Retrieved 9 December 2015.
  4. ^ a b "Myrkur - M". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  5. ^ a b Barry, Sean (17 August 2015). "Myrkur – M". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  6. ^ a b Walschots, Natalie Zina (19 August 2015). "Myrkur - M". Exclaim!. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  7. ^ a b Currin, Grayson Haver (31 August 2015). "Myrkur - M". Pitchfork. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  8. ^ a b Joyce, Colin (20 August 2015). "Review: Myrkur Is a Light in Black Metal's Darkness on 'M'". Spin. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  9. ^ a b K., Elijah (25 August 2015). "Myrkur - M". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  10. ^ Brown, Dean (25 August 2015). "Myrkur - M". The Quietus. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  11. ^ "M by Myrkur". Bandcamp. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  12. ^ "Myrkur - Heatseekers chart". Billboard. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  13. ^ "Myrkur - World Albums chart". Billboard. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
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