Folkesange

Yes, it is widely known that Myrkur is a controversial band in the black metal community. There are good reasons for this, which I will not go into for this review. But, It is important that I sum it up with the title of my review, which shows my hand: "Myrkur's Trojan Horse Ends Here." What this means is that Myrkur has used the black metal label as a means to an end for her and that it basically has ended with this album.

First, let me say that "Folkesange" is not a horrible album - it is actually an average non-metal, album. So, why the 10%? This is because it is a terrible metal album. This is not metal and the plethora of fanboys that rant about how "metal" it is will not change that. This is pagan, folk music with pop sensibilities. There is nothing metal about this at all. Yes, we know Amalie can sing very well. Yes, we know she knows how to play various folk instruments and piano. But, there is nothing else to this album. Yes, it is sleepy and dreamy and makes me think of rainbows and unicorns. But, it is not metal. Sorry, nothing metal about it.

Regarding the details of the album itself, first we have the production. Of course, Amalie wants us all to believe she is a black metal artist and that she is "cvlt" and "underground", but the truth of the matter is that she has boat-loads of money and sinks boat-loads of money into making her vocals sound ultra-produced. The vocals sound like I would expect from a pop-star: ultra-produced, very crisp, clean, and effects-laden. There is nothing raw or black metal about the production of her vocals. The instruments are convincing folk instruments, and at times, she does a good job fooling me that this is a folk-metal album, but the hints of folk metal are smothered by commercial pop. I shouldn't say smothered... What I really mean is: STRANGULATED! Amalie has produced this album in such a way to sterilize folk metal to the point it has become worse than overproduced folk-pop. As a result, the only thing that shines on this album is Amalie's vocals. Really, she should have just cut out all the instruments and just sung the album with nothing else. Might as well...

The song writing centers around Amalie showing off her clean, pop vocals. She is showing us how she never really wanted to play black metal and really just wanted to be pop. Yes, her vocal ability is amazing. But, her song writing on this album is less-than-stellar. Nothing sticks in my head after a listen or two. As a matter of fact, this is a painful chore to listen to, unless it is sleepy bed time. The only thing of note is a select few vocal hooks, and that is it. Otherwise, this is a bore of a folk pop wish wash.

As it stands, I hate this album. It represents the pinnacle in a "sell out" metal artist (which she really never was to begin with). If Amalie wants a good review on a metal site for her albums, she should re-consider everything. I know, this review is harsh, but I stand by it 100%. If I were reviewing a folk/pop album, I would probably give this album an 80%. Hell, if this were just a one-off experimental album for Myrkur, I would probably give this album a higher score, but I know her intent is to continue this direction from here on out. It was ALWAYS her intent all along. No, I am here on Encyclopaedia Metallum reviewing a METAL album. So, Amalie gets a metal review. 10% out of 100%.

Come back with a metal album, Amalie. Or, next time, you get a 0%.

After the first clash with the most ardent black metal fans when the EP (2014) and the first LP (2015) were released, Myrkur reinvented herself when she came up with the sophomore full-length “Mareridt” in 2017, ending up being widely praised due to the combination of black metal and folklore in a more unique way and with less creative influences/orientations coming from the outside.

Three years later, she leaves aside the distortion of the guitars and the screams to embrace only the folk side, something that is more and more normal in this kind of projects, as recently happened with Winterfylleth when they released the acoustic “The Hallowing of Heirdom” (2018).

With the inclusion of instruments that were already used before, such as the nyckelharpa, and with the usage of kulning (a vocal method for calling flocks), the concept of this “Folkesange” has a narrative that focuses on rituals of passage and Scandinavian traditions, offering us a Myrkur that, despite having already proven her vocal talent, elevates herself and consequently those who listen to it, such is the tuning and, above all, the emotion - she shows herself as one the of the best.

Immersive, the album ends up containing several sides. While “Fager som en Ros” is danceable, “Leaves of Yggdrasil” and “Tor i Helheim” are introspective and tender, something that happens practically throughout the album. And when there isn't an introspective approach, there is always the tender side that remains, as in "Reiar". Melancholy cannot be forgotten, having its appearance in “Gudernes Vilje”. And to sing and to listen to at dusk with the bonfire already lit we have “Harpens Kraft”. Finally, although there is a general Scandinavian tone, “House Carpenter” has a certain North-American folk substance.

For those who wanted to find out what Myrkur was going to do in the field of folk/black metal after “Mareridt”, then they will have to wait and be involved in this renaissance of folk music, in this discovery of cultural heritage that Myrkur found useful to share through a melodic and atmospheric simplicity that automatically ties us to Nature and its myths.