LIVE REVIEW: Myrkur @ Gorilla, Manchester

Whilst many will have set their out of office on and headed home for the holidays, yet for us, one final show awaits before 2018 draws to a close. Welcoming acclaimed multi-instrumentalist MYRKUR to the intimate confines of Gorilla, anticipation is rife amongst the crowd for what will be for many, their last live experience of the year.

Firstly though, Jo Quail takes to the stage and proceeds to display a moving and immersive opening set. Having collaborated with numerous bands across the metal spectrum, Quail is no stranger to a more metal-orientated crowd and showing no nerves in the intimate setting, the virtuoso cellist dispatches four lengthy compositions to wonderful effect. Utilising loop and effect pedals to draw a wide pallet of sounds from one instrument is impressive enough but the range of mood, feelings and raw emotion Quail conjures from her cello is utterly breathtaking. Moments of Mandrel Cantus revel in sinister undertones before subsiding into passages of musical tranquillity whilst the execution of Gold is simply gorgeous, drawing the crowd into the moving soundscape effortlessly. In a performance that was captivating as it was spine-tinkling, Quail further bolstered her reputation as a outstanding musician and set the stage perfectly for MYRKUR.

Rating: 9/10

Dividing her set into two halves, MYRKUR presented something a little bit different that what people have become accustomed to since her emergence in 2014. Part one, and the set’s opening, titled Folkesange, demonstrates the clear folk influences running through the veins of both MYRKUR‘s sonic makeup and that of Amalie Bruun herself. Her bandmates seated and joined by Jo Quail to provide strings, pulsating illuminating bulbs create a warm and welcoming atmosphere as Bruun proceeds to perform renditions of traditional folk songs spanning Norway, her homeland Denmark, Sweden and Scotland as well as a wonderful rendition of Lullaby of Woe, lifted from The Witcher III: Wild Hunt‘s original soundtrack. It’s a dive into the songs of old and Bruun is on breathtaking form as her clear and soaring vocals come across beautifully whilst her bandmates provide ample amounts of gentle instrumentation which sound crisp and clean.

If the first half of the set demonstrated the clear folk influences to MYRKUR then the second half featured the complete polar opposite. Operating much more akin to the black metal tag associated with the project, blistering drums, ice-tinged riffs and a vortex of shrieks and haunting cleans from Bruun provide plenty of bite and drive as the dominating force to their sound. Whilst it doesn’t quite match up to the gorgeous foray of folk from earlier on, it still is incredibly impressive. Bruun‘s vocal range is on full display here, flowing from the enticing cleans of Ulvinde to twisted shrieks of Måneblôt, and her bandmates provide copious amounts of vicious riffs as the weighty chug of The Serpent kicks off the black metal segment of the set in the best possible fashion. In a set that is weighted heavily towards material pulled from 2017’s Mareridt, the sprinkling of material from M proves to be clear highlights in the set as Dybt I Skoven‘s melancholic riffing fuses effortlessly with Bruun‘s haunting vocals to raise the hairs on the back of your neck.

Indeed, where MYRKUR shines best is when all her influences collide and fuse together and this is demonstrated to the highest standard when Juniper closes off the set. Here, the sound, mood and atmosphere is utterly intoxicating and showcases the sheer musical quality at the project’s disposal. It makes for an emphatic and moving conclusion from one of metal’s most eclectic outfits.

Rating: 9/10

Check out our photo gallery of the night’s action in Manchester from Sabrina Ramdoyal Photography here: