REVIEW: Múr - Múr

The harsh Icelandic tundra conjures images of beautiful glacier-falls beneath elegantly dancing northern lights in the sky - a landscape tailored for the wild rhapsodies of Sólstafir and Skálmöld. These bands effortlessly channel the mood of their homelands, an aural avalanche cascading over frozen cliffsides. Which is why it is so exciting to welcome another contender; Múr. On the album cover are five clean-cut lads gazing wistfully past the camera as if they’re searching for something lost in the void. They seem quite out of place in a genre that typically demands grim beards and mad gazes. It is almost reminiscent of Meet The Beatles. You’re not really certain what to expect. Then the guitars strike.

The opener, 'Eldhaf', bursts forth - tight, deliberate, with a nice crunchy guitar over a droning synth - but it does not take long to notice the influences here. The thing with Múr, right from the start is how familiarly their cold fire burns. They namecheck “Devin Townsend and mid-era Opeth” in their description, but this is more than homage; it ventures into pastiche territory. The gleaming from Townsend’s bald head shines over this track, and Múr seems to fly a bit too close to the sun here: The chord progressions? We’re talking 'Accelerated Evolution'. The opening riff? An echo of 'Addicted'. And the vocals? It's hard not to hear some 'Stormbending'. But undoubtedly the ability is bare and present here, albeit to a rather timorous start.

The second track, 'Múr' (not to be confused with the album title… and the band), is the heavy-hitter. Kári Haraldsson blares out a beautifully heavy vocal performance reminiscent of Åkerfeldt at his best alongside a wonderful keyboard-tinged solo; seriously talented. There are some strong top-notes of Opeth here, with some aromatic mid-notes and a base note of 'Demiurge' by Meshuggah. The carnage continues with 'Frelsari', where the guitars of Hilmir Árnason and Jón Ísak Ragnarsson are on a warpath, pounding out a diabolical riff while Árni Jökull Guðbjartsson lays down some furious drumming that would burst through handsomely - if it were not so buried in the mix. Such is the tragedy of percussionists; all too often sacrificed at the altar of production.

With synths like a siren, the subsequent 'Vitrun' showcases Múr at their most dangerous; pulse-pounding riffs, fantastic duelling vocals, and a synth underneath it all like a veil of rainbows. Superb. The influences are less clear here, but what you can hear is pure Múr, nascent and resplendent. As the album goes on, to paraphrase one Patrick Bateman, you can hear the band coming into their own, both creatively and artistically. 'Messa' continues what 'Vitrun' began, but with an excellent breakdown that linchpins the song. Synthesizers hum as 'Heimsslit' begins, with an intro that could soundtrack the slow-motion death of a central character in some prestige TV drama. You can almost see the panning shot of blood spreading across a snowbank, Haraldsson’s background in film scoring bleeding through in all the right ways. It almost has some Godspeed You! Black Emperor about it. The riveting electronic bass of Ívar Klausen grumbles underneath it all. Very long and very atmospheric, this one is an album highlight – a track that threatens to uproot Sólstafir and Skálmöld from their apex positions as the soundtrack to the Icelandic wilderness.

Then comes the finale: 'Holskefla'. A closer that tries to plant a flag in this jagged album but ends up stumbling under the weight of its own influences. When this band leans into Townsend, it seriously leans into Townsend, it’s a feeling that these Strapping Young Lads cannot seem to shake off. What we get is ten minutes of riffage with not a whole lot of variation present as 'Múr' bounces around influences again. And then, just like that, it ends. No crescendo, and no catharsis. With bands like this, you brace for the sprawling outros, but Múr take a different approach it seems – leaving you half-expecting another song to crawl out of the shadows.

But in the end, the fact remains - this is a fine album. The most exciting aspect here is the sheer potential of 'Múr', and the real meat of the album here is a solid offering, but there’s a little too much scavenging here - picking bones clean from the carcasses of bigger and older predators. Songs like 'Vitrun' and 'Heimsslit' showcase a new band rising like a great new force in the distance, and you can see the greatness on the horizon. Whether they can carve a path that’s truly their own remains to be seen, but for now, 'Múr' offers a solid debut, stumbling through a sonic tundra with borrowed maps but undeniable determination. An album that is definitely worth a listen - keep your eyes on that horizon, because Múr is rushing towards it at headlong speed.

‘Múr’ will be released on November 22nd via Century Media Records.

Words: Kiarash Golshani

Photo: Anna Maggy