Ok let’s start with the kvlt shall we? It seems some people just think everything must be a joke and the notion that people might be intensely serious about their music, and even the philosophy behind its creation, is beyond their comprehension. Yep, we can all have a laugh at pretension and posers going down the shops to buy bog roll but, hey, on the other hand even serious artists like Diamanda Galas and Nick Cave have to take a shit, do the food shop and hoover up now and then. But if you dare to eschew social media and, actually make people put a little effort into getting hold of an album or a demo suddenly they’re laughable? Really? Some music is made for the artist and if anyone wants to come along for the journey then that’s fine, but not strictly the motivation. So maybe learn to respect their decisions on how they interact and don’t assume.
And here were are at Lamp Of Murmuur. To say M, the US artist behind this project, has created a stir with his demos and split with Revenant Marquis is putting it mildly. With minimal online presence (a streaming only Bandcamp page) and little physical media, the few tangible items have often fallen foul of discogs scalpers and left many interested and intrigued parties bereft. This album sold out its vinyl pressing in (by my watch) under two minutes but at least and at last it is available for download. And also the vinyl is being repressed so fuck you scalpers…. And kudos to The Lamp.
But more importantly why the fuss? It has to be hype, right? It’s one-man black metal for darkness’ sake.
Aaaaah, no. No, it isn’t hype. This is…quite something.
It sets off with absolutely no preamble with ‘Of Infernal Passion And Aberrations’, an insistent guitar and bass line pushed forward by a sudden rush of keyboards. They have a sumptuous almost late eighties feel but the riff and the howled, frightening vocals have a real modern feel. The tempestuous nature of this sound, with its undulating waves reminds me of early Emperor but, wow, the layered melodies M arranges that are absorbed swiftly into your soul are just stunning. It batters and roars and caresses all at the same time and with such poise you kind of pinch yourself this is a debut. ‘Bathing In Cascades Of Caustic Hypnotism’ is from the same sound but utterly distinct song; the rhythmic riff a five punch to the gut refrain, hypnotic in repetition and this time the guitar taking the melody into cold dark places. A softer passage with some impressive guitar work is just crushed by the returning riff, the vocals turning deranged. Magnificent.
Um.Two songs. A little over twenty minutes but somewhere I just lost time inside this. It is raw stuff, but still drenched in an almost symphonic atmosphere. Orthodox but utterly cloaked in its own identity. It’s that rare thing of not pushing the boundaries of the genre but with huge imagination and inspiration finding something new within.
‘Gazing Towards The Hallways Of A Peaceless Mind’ is a weird piano moment, like a scratched recording at a Victorian seance, falling it bent sound and a disturbed ending.
The ‘The Scent Of Torture, Conquering All’ rips through the memory of that, up tempo, almost galloping and careering a few yards back from the edges of a punky black ‘n’ roll, a familiar feeling to the melody but a different feel to the song with skilled judgement in the tempo changed to keep it burning and a great rumbling drum sound. ‘Chalice Of Oniric Perversions’ adds even more colour to the vocals, high screams to the magnificent wall of howls and a dark, driving riff, a pinch of Immortal in there, just a pinch at the midpoint
The we get the title track. And as I’ve accepted things can’t get any better it does. Imagine some pitch-black dungeon synth rising up to become black metal. The immediate, insistent melody and the pulsing bass are just supreme. It slows a little as the vocals come in but its captivating nature never lets up. Dark night skies, infinity in the stars, reaching out for something just through the veil and fading out with some clean vocals Oh fuck this is beautiful and harsh and yes, suffused with an eerie romance. Just breath-taking.
It leaves us with ‘The Stars Caress Me As My Flesh Becomes One with The Eternal Night’. A quiet, gentle instrumental, somewhere between Vangelis and Era 1 Mortiis that is the perfect coda to an extraordinary debut.
For me this is very much black metal grown in that late 80s, early 90s soil but with rare vitality, innovation and identity in the manner it has grown. The arrangements and composition are at times stunning for such a style, the poise and dare I say it elegance displayed are wonderful. It has a fantastic balance between raw and atmospheric too. I’m sure some will love to scoff at those long titles, when really they afraid of something which exercises its right to be serious and have meaning for the artist.
Their loss.
This is black metal. This is what it can be. This is just frankly sublime.
(And if you get it from the Lamp Of Murmuur bandcamp there’s a cover of Dead Can Dance’s ‘In The Wake Of Adversity’ from Within The Realm Of A Dying Sun… And it may split people but, dammit I love it)
(9/10 Gizmo)
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