Band:	Mizmor
Album:	Prosaic
Style:	Black metal, Doom metal
Release date:	July 21, 2023
A review by:	F3ynman

01. Only An Expanse
02. No Place To Arrive
03. Anything But
04. Acceptance

Mizmor, master of blackened doom, has opted for a slightly new approach. Is this simply another experiment or a lasting shift in the band's style?

Mizmor is a one-man band proficient in the blending of doom and black metal styles. Here on Metal Storm, Mizmor's releases have garnered various reactions. Yodh and Cairn impressed with their foreboding cover artwork to match their monumental soundscapes. Collaborations with Andrew Black in 2020 and Thou in 2022 were positively received, while the Wit's End EP was found to be lacking. I'll admit, I'm new to Mizmor. But, I can say that their newest LP, Prosaic, is an overall good piece of music. Perhaps not as intense and creepy as Yodh and Cairn, but, then again, that never was the intention.

The word "prosaic" means "unimaginative and commonplace". And while I find that description far too harsh for this album, it nevertheless provides insight into Mizmor's purpose here. On their Bandcamp page, they state that the goal of this album was to make music that was "less conceptual", "less grandiose", and "more human". As a result, instead of indulging in lengthy, eerie atmospheres, this album stays rather straightforward. This change in approach for Mizmor is also reflected in the cover art, which is less intimidating and ethereal than on previous albums. Instead of ghastly faces and imposing, hooded figures, this artwork depicts a dilapidated and bleak rural setting. As the cover suggests, the music hasn't lost its attention to detail; it has simply chosen a different path.

The first song, "Only An Expanse" kicks off immediately with fuzzy, droning guitar playing that rumbles along in a surprisingly catchy manner (a little reminiscent of Mizmor's previous, short-lived band Sorceress).
The production on Prosaic is really ideal, emphasizing these chunky riffs and lending a lulling, stoner-like vibe. However, not all aspects of the music are entirely new for Mizmor. With track lengths typically exceeding ten minutes, a good chunk of the songs are dominated by the familiar, lumbering, funeral-doom-like lethargy. The guitar patiently drones on as slow, hard-hitting drum beats emphasize a grand aura. Acoustic guitar-playing, which regularly provided melancholic melodies on previous records, is also present here, although in a smaller capacity. Similar to past releases, the vocals are in the form of tortured, blackened wails, although no bone-chilling shrieks like on Yodh's "The Serpent Eats Its Tail" appear here on Prosaic. The use of some spoken audio samples on "Anything But" seems to be a call-back to their Wit's End EP.

Despite their claimed intentions, there are nevertheless grandiose moments of crushing ambience, such as on the thunderous closer "Acceptance". On this album, Mizmor do a great job of balancing these longer, droning sections with more straightforward, catchy material. I would argue Prosaic might be Mizmor's most accessible album to date, using groovy riffs like the one that starts at the 1:49-minute mark on "No Place To Arrive" to grab the listener's attention. The songwriting remains engaging throughout the extensive tracks as a result of smooth transitions between acoustic guitar serenity, aggressive tremolo-picking, and rumbling bass lines.

In conclusion, with the inclusion of gripping hooks and streamlined songwriting, Mizmor manage to craft a captivating experience without sacrificing their signature, droning atmosphere or their crushing mix of blackened doom.