Band:	Lamp Of Murmuur
Album:	Saturnian Bloodstorm
Style:	Black metal
Release date:	March 2023

01. Conqueror Beyond The Frenzied Fog
02. Hymns Of Death, Rays Of Might
03. Seal Of The Dominator
04. Descending From The Aurora
05. In Communion With The Wintermoon
06. Saturnian Bloodstorm

"Yeah, I got better songwriting and more powerful songs. But at what cost?"

Take your warmest cloak for we are leaving the gloomy goth club and heading straight to the frosty north.

Lamp Of Murmuur has done quite a lot for a project that formed merely 4 years ago. Some brute haters will gladly use the word “trendy” to explain the success. But fact is that M. has done well in bringing the elements we all know and love about classic black metal in such an honest way. Lamp Of Murmuur embraces the romanticism of the unholiest of metal subgenres. A romanticism often felt but never deliberately spoken by most bands.

Part of that vibe was due to Lamp Of Murmuur’s flirtatious attitude towards goth rock. Be it in the bouncy catchy riffs or the subdued nature of the post-punk-influenced melodies. I can understand that after a while a project may need to alter its identity and most readers may agree that it is not optimal to listen to the same thing over and over again. But some changes come with a price, like sacrificing a big chunk of your identity. This is the case with Saturnian Bloodstorm.

It will take you about 3 seconds into the first track to figure out that Lamp Of Murmuur are paying a homage to Immortal. A homage that is as subtle as a sledgehammer to the knee during an intricate waltz. From the furious riffing and epic lead guitars to the bombastic drumming. Even the vocals have a similar lizard-like quality akin to Abbath. But some riffs, synth work and the passionate solos like on the first two tracks have a more phantasmagoric melody to them which does remind you of the project’s gothic influences.

The sound of the riffs is absolutely massive (trust me, it gets even better by playing the record loud) and the sheer energy they invoke is catchy as rabies. It is a super solid effort by M. for sure. To be honest with you, I think this sees Lamp Of Murmuur at its peak in terms of songwriting. All songs are engaging from start to finish. Even though Saturnian Bloodstorm is far from original, at least it’s not as much of a blatant copy of Immortal as I feared. One can also notice the epicness found in some of Bathory’s albums as well as Dissection’s recognizable sense of melody. It’s difficult to make a comparison to previous Lamp Of Murmuur though due to the drastic shift in style. At times it feels like an entirely different entity.

I’m not one for caring too much about lack of originality as long as the songs are great. Saturnian Bloodstorm has been written superbly. Sadly there are some elements that don’t allow the songs to shine as majestically as they deserve to. For a project that found a perfect balance in approachable rawness in previous records, it is puzzling that Saturnian Bloodstorm doesn’t have an adequate production. I applaud the vibrant sound of the guitars and the savage vocals. Both elements are pretty much in your face from the get-go. But damn, the drumming shouldn’t be that upfront. The programming on the drums is very well done but since its sound is so clear and flat it stand outs way too much with its dead tone. A rawer sound would have hidden this. In the long run it’s hard not to notice the drum machine's fake touch. Which is sad because the rest of the music breathes passion.

I’m curious to know if Lamp Of Murmuur will stick around with this style of black metal or if it will morph once again into another elusive entity. In any case, M. continues to provide truly heartfelt and inspiring odes to the black metal cult. Just turn down the drums a little bit next time. Or get a good drummer.