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Lamp Of Murmuur - Saturnian Bloodstorm review



Reviewer:
7.2

119 users:
7.49
Band: Lamp Of Murmuur
Album: Saturnian Bloodstorm
Style: Black metal
Release date: March 26, 2023
A review by: X-Ray Rod


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.



Rating breakdown
Performance: 9
Songwriting: 9
Originality: 4
Production: 6





Written on 07.04.2023 by A lazy reviewer but he is so cute you'd forgive him for it.


Comments

Comments: 7   Visited by: 93 users
07.04.2023 - 23:19
Rating: 6
Boxcar Willy
yr a kook
I tried it again and ended up lowering my score to a 6. Goodness those drums sounds terrible along with the vocals.

It feels very rushed IMO.
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14:22 - Marcel Hubregtse
I do your mum

DESTROY DRUM TRIGGERS
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07.04.2023 - 23:29
Rating: 7
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Staff
Written by Boxcar Willy on 07.04.2023 at 23:19

I tried it again and ended up lowering my score to a 6. Goodness those drums sounds terrible along with the vocals.

It feels very rushed IMO.

My only problem is the drumming. Like I wrote, anything else sounds very good to me. Even the vocals. But the drumming spoils a lot of the album to the point I thought "Hey, I can listen to actual Immortal instead". And that's not a good thing.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass

Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.

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08.04.2023 - 02:50
A Real Mönkey
This is definitely LoM's attempt to replicate Immortal's mediocre pre-ATHOW stuff. I wish they leaned more towards the Dissection meloblack stylings with a better production cause they would've absolutely nailed it if the hintings on this album are any indication. I feel like this is just a fluke album though; probably M. just testing the waters of what he wants to try.

My opinion of this album isn't as high as it was when I first heard it, and I'll definitely be going back to spinning the shit out of Heir/Submission, but I don't remember the production bothering me nearly as much as it did some people. A more evened-out production on par with the previous two still would've been preferable now that it's been pointed out.
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Tha Swagnum Opus: A Selection Of Hip-Hop For The Curious Metalhead
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08.04.2023 - 09:52
Rating: 7
DarkWingedSoul
Not that bad, but will skip it for now.
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08.04.2023 - 12:13
Rating: 7
X-Ray Rod
Skandino
Staff
Written by A Real Mönkey on 08.04.2023 at 02:50
This is definitely LoM's attempt to replicate Immortal's mediocre pre-ATHOW stuff.

Agree with most of your comment but this part of your comment puzzles me.
1) This doesn't sound like any Immortal album before At the Heart Of Winter so I don't understand the pre-suffix. It sound like ATHOW plus Sons Of Northern Darkness.
2) Mediocre? Oh well, tastes be tastes.
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Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29
Like you could kiss my ass

Written by Milena on 20.06.2012 at 10:49
Rod, let me love you.

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12.04.2023 - 13:57
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
To me this band has 2problems, first they have no promotional picture other they don't use Facebook. Even music is awesome I try avoid it.
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I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens.

Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"

I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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01.07.2023 - 15:03
Rating: 8
tintinb
Haven't listened to much of Immortal or Dissection but on a standalone basis this album sounded good.
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Leeches everywhere.
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