Ok so now I have to qualify myself a little bit. In my Staff Page bio I say that I don't like Black Metal because of the lyrical content.
Well I still don't care for most of the lyrics of the blatantly Satanic/anti-Christian bands but there are some such as Enslaved and the like that I just love and can't dismiss. That being said I have really grown to dig alot of BM bands since I wrote my bio. Thankfully for me I can't even understand what they are saying unless I read the lyric sheets which are often absent with promos.
Ok yeah i know....the review man, the review! :)
Myrk are freaking awesome musically and vocally...lyrically I ain't digging it! Ye old licker of the Satan's balls lyrics in full force. Still it don't stop me from digging the tunes. These cats play a really good blend of black metal and death metal....mostly black. A tad technical but not annoyingly so.....blast beats but not wholly relying on that. They know how to catch a groove and work it so your head will bang most repeatedly! haha it's good!
To compare with maybe some more known bands you can hear some Naglfar, a little Enslaved in the more progressive parts, a bit of Anaal Nathrak and Irrumerator's other band Frost. Throw in some Legion for good measure too.
The production is really good....the kind of clean, yet necro production that Enslaved achieved on "Below The Lights", but the drums are more typical death metal sounding rather than Dirge Rep's classic rock sounding drums on the aforementioned Enslaved masterpiece.
Vocally, you get the schizo style of many bands these days....and I like it.....two distinct sounds. Death heavy vocals and grim screeching black metal vocals reminding me of early Dimmu and any Naglfar.
What stands these guys out among the comparison bands is the ability to write well structured and melodic songs. I mean melodic in the BM sense you understand. They are not a Melodeath band at all. Also you will find some really nice solos....yes solos! Not the whammy bar noodling type either.
Again I must mention Naglfar in this respect to
Myrk's craft.
As with many black metal band reviews in the media these days, you could say that
Myrk bring nothing new to the black table as it were. Yet I can't help but thinking that critics pin too much expectation on BM bands to innovate and change. Black Metal is what it is even if it's inbred a little bit. The scene really is low on pioneers at the moment, Enslaved being one of those few, and so I can allow myself to take
Myrk and others for what they are. They are tight, they write really well and play just as well and I have no problem recommending you check them out unless the overtly satanic lyrics offend you.
"When We Raised The Sign" and
"Nightwinds" are my album picks for favorites but as i am known for saying.....they are all good!
Let me say something else as well for I feel I must: Band members bio's, who does what and where they do it are all functions of the band's web sites and I don't feel the need to give you all the names of band members and what they do and some of that other monotonous crap you get in a lot of album reviews. That's why these bands and labels spend the time and money to build web sites and that's why I always like to point you guys to those web sites in my reviews. With a band this new I feel it ok to just point you to the web site for that stuff. A more known band like
In Flames or Dimmu will get their names mentioned a lot because they have made a name for themselves and the individuals in those bands have become known for a sound or style or innovation on their respective instruments.
Myrk have laid a great groundwork for themselves with "Icons Of The Dark".
Me thinks you will dig....dig?!
Check 'em out at
www.ketzer-records.de and
www.helviti.com/myrk/ where you can hear an mp3 of "Nightwinds" and judge for yourself whether they be a worthy addition to your collection or not.
Written by
David Sunday, March 28, 2004
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