Review by Adam M on September 10, 2015.

Myrkur’s new album brings a diversity of ambient and black metal to the table. M shares as much in common with black metal acts as it does Alcest and this new slant on music is certainly an interesting one.

There is an alternation between subtle and more commanding tracks which leads to a varied approach. There are also portions that have clean vocals and those that have a more rough black metal type. The album is spirited, emotional and doesn’t overstay its welcome. Though the album has been criticized a few times, I believe there is a lot on display to warrant a positive reaction to the material here. One thing that impressed me right from the get-go is the choir style of vocals that are employed several times on the release. They add an atmosphere that can only be described as an enchanting one to the album. The black metal portions have more folk as well as raw portions and this lends variety to those portions as well. The folk side is demonstrated nicely in the track Haevnen which is clearly a very pretty song. With M, there is always something interesting going on to keep the listener captivated. The dichotomy between softer and harsher moments is done better than most albums this year and is also a solid positive aspect to the album. It also allows for climaxes to occur in the music at the most appropriate occasions. The soft moments lead to moments of serenity and the louder ones lead to a more black metal flavour.

The pristine vocals always complement every moment of the music, however. There is an almost angelic quality to these and they help the remainder of the music greatly. Overall, I’m very impressed with this full length release from Myrkur and look forward to hearing more from her in the future.

Rating: 8 out of 10