Band:	Myrkur
Album:	Spine
Style:	Folk, Black metal
Release date:	October 20, 2023
A review by:	musclassia

01. Bålfærd
02. Like Humans
03. Mothlike
04. My Blood Is Gold
05. Spine
06. Valkyriernes Sang
07. Blazing Sky
08. Devil In The Detail
09. Menneskebarn

Myrkur’s gradual transition from folk black metal to just folk reached a natural conclusion with 2020’s Folkesange. This project hadn’t yet stood still between releases, but the next steps were unclear; would future releases see a return to the metallic sounds of earlier records, or would Amalie Bruun continue to take Myrkur further away from its original sound? As it turns out, she isn’t yet finished with metal.

The initial fame of Myrkur arguably owed as much to the quality of the project’s heavily Ulver-influenced initial releases as it did Bruun’s status as an ex-pop musician (both solo and with Ex Cops) making black metal as a female solo project, which was promoted heavily in metal media at the time. However, I would hope that both the strength and ambition of Myrkur’s career to date has quelled a lot of the initial naysaying (some of it of questionable motivation) resulting from the latter fact, as the three releases thus far have all been strong in their own ways. The jumps from M to Mareridt, which toned down the black metal elements and increased the prominence of folk in Myrkur’s sound, and then from Mareridt to Folkesange, which dropped the metal elements altogether, were substantial yet logical; however, Folkesange felt very much like the extreme end of the continuum that the three records laid upon.

Therefore, I found myself curious as to where Bruun could take Myrkur next; if she wanted to stick with the straight neofolk approach, would she perhaps go from singer-songwriter folk to something more grandiose akin to a Wardruna, or instead might she look to integrate aspects of her past poppier musical ventures? Given the close ties between Myrkur and Ulver, one also wondered whether the latter band might be a template for the former’s next steps; Ulver’s own folk black-to-neofolk shift from Bergtatt to Kveldssanger was followed up by one of black metal’s rawest albums ever, but the band then subsequently abandoned metal permanently. Having now heard Spine, I can say that it’s not Myrkur’s Nattens Madrigal, but at the same time, it shows that Bruun’s interest in writing metal didn’t die with Mareridt.

Spine is not a mere reversion to Mareridt, however. When the metal comes, it does sometimes take blackened form, as demonstrated by “Valkyriernes Sang” and the blasting part of “Devil In The Detail”. At the same time, it’s not just confined to one genre; “Like Humans”, on which the guitars are muted, feels closer to alt rock, while there’s a doomy retro hard rock feel to the chorus of “Blazing Sky”. Additionally, other electric guitar contributions distinguish themselves in their own way; the solo in “Mothlike” is very classic metal (albeit backed up by blasting), and the tremolos in “Spine” primarily owe themselves to post-rock or blackgaze.

Furthermore, while folk is still an integral part of Spine, Myrkur has moved beyond the straight neofolk of Folkesange. The bookending tracks are in the Folkesange vein (the former, “Balfaerd”, an atmospheric piece with drones, strings and ethereal vocals, while “Menneskebarn” is more in the acoustic singer-songwriter vein), but while the vocals on songs such as “Like Humans” and “Devil In The Detail” have an ethereal touch, the songwriting feels more contemporary, in line with some of Bruun’s pre-Myrkur material; the latter song even utilizes some subtle electronics as part of its delicate, tender chorus. The songwriting of “Devil In The Detail”, with the electronics, the cello and the elaborate, ascending vocals, feels very much inspired by Leprous.

Myrkur collaborated with Chelsea Wolfe on Mareridt, and “My Blood Is Gold” sounds like a lasting remnant of Wolfe’s influence on the project, courtesy of its gloominess. Perhaps the greatest stylistic departure, however, is “Mothlike”, which spills right into synthpop with the 80s synth sounds and electronic beats. The song could probably do very well in alternative/indie circles, even with the aforementioned blasts, solo and shrieks (the only harsh vocals on the album) midway through.

For me, Spine is another good addition to the Myrkur discography, and another example of Bruun’s adventurousness as a writer. However, I’d say it’s perhaps the least consistently strong album since M. At its best, with ethereal extremity of “Valkyriernes Sang”, the soulful nature of “Devil In The Detail”, or the atmosphere of the title track, it stands up well to what Bruun delivered on Mareridt and Folkesange. At the other end of the spectrum, I find “Blazing Sky” to be a very forgettable track, and to a lesser degree I’m not particularly fond of “Like Humans”. Nevertheless, the sheer range on display here, which is a stark contrast to the singular nature of Folkesange, demonstrates that Myrkur can potentially head in any musical direction going forwards from Spine.