MØL only came on to my radar a few weeks ago – I have always characterised myself as someone who adores melodic black metal when it’s performed well! Without intending to start an argument over genre specifics, acts in the vein of Saor and Defheaven have crafted some of my favourite richly melodious and detailed black metal albums. However, I’ve never felt truly immersed in the scene. My tastes tend to skew towards alternative and progressive metal styles, only occasionally wandering into the more sonorous aspects. As such, I always appreciate acts who introduce me to new dimensions within the genre.
Opening tonight’s proceedings is Cold Night For Alligators (7) Their combination of complex instrumentation and soaring clean vocals allows them to speak to the side of our headliners fanbase who appreciate intricate melodies, and theatrical scale. Frontman Johan Jack Pedersen confesses to feeling unwell, and yet there are no signs of that in his performance, which is animated and impassioned. Admittedly, the songs and melodies have the tendency to blur into one, and there’s an argument that the attempts at dynamic contrast feel generic and lacking in any distinct identity. On its own terms however, this is an impressive opening set.
TAYNE (6) are intriguing, if not to my tastes. It would be cruel and describe them as “a worse Nine Inch Nails”, even if they are proudly influenced by industrial metal. Sharp electronic textures are contrasted against down tuned guitars. There’s a seething quality to these songs which sets them apart from the vivid creations of our opening and headline acts. The experimentation, and ability to combine divergent soundscapes is fascinating, even if I struggled to latch on to their style emotionally.
Translated from Danish, MØL (9) means ‘moth’. Performing a form of metal know as blackgaze, throughout their set, the band gracefully flit between the ambient, vibrant textures of shoegaze and the visceral extremes of black metal. It’s a combination which is immersive and leaves the audience in awe of the technical skill, and the multifaceted compositions. I mean that literally as well as figuratively – this is an audience who are there to observe and appreciate, perhaps setting them apart from a typical metal crowd.
That however does not prevent frontman Kim Song Sternkopf from selling the hell out of these songs through his performances. I’d be tempted to use the word cliché to describe his raised hands clutched into claws, and his wielding of the mic stand like a weapon, if not for how entertaining his stage presence proves! He even spends the penultimate song Jord in the crowd, further endearing him to the audience and allowing us to feel a closer emotional connection to the show as a whole!
MØL’s tight eleven song setlist spans songs from across their three albums, from the distinct black-metal stylings of their debut to the more expansive experimentations of Diorama, to the deeply melodic swerves of new album DREAMCRUSH. Each member performs with absolute precision, proving that the set has been rehearsed to within an inch of its existence. And yet, the set never feels sterile or self-indulgent, showing that these performers have learnt how to keep an audience enthralled and are committed to that art, in spite of their ever-evolving skill as musicians.
Opening tonight’s proceedings is Cold Night For Alligators (7) Their combination of complex instrumentation and soaring clean vocals allows them to speak to the side of our headliners fanbase who appreciate intricate melodies, and theatrical scale. Frontman Johan Jack Pedersen confesses to feeling unwell, and yet there are no signs of that in his performance, which is animated and impassioned. Admittedly, the songs and melodies have the tendency to blur into one, and there’s an argument that the attempts at dynamic contrast feel generic and lacking in any distinct identity. On its own terms however, this is an impressive opening set.
TAYNE (6) are intriguing, if not to my tastes. It would be cruel and describe them as “a worse Nine Inch Nails”, even if they are proudly influenced by industrial metal. Sharp electronic textures are contrasted against down tuned guitars. There’s a seething quality to these songs which sets them apart from the vivid creations of our opening and headline acts. The experimentation, and ability to combine divergent soundscapes is fascinating, even if I struggled to latch on to their style emotionally.
Translated from Danish, MØL (9) means ‘moth’. Performing a form of metal know as blackgaze, throughout their set, the band gracefully flit between the ambient, vibrant textures of shoegaze and the visceral extremes of black metal. It’s a combination which is immersive and leaves the audience in awe of the technical skill, and the multifaceted compositions. I mean that literally as well as figuratively – this is an audience who are there to observe and appreciate, perhaps setting them apart from a typical metal crowd.
That however does not prevent frontman Kim Song Sternkopf from selling the hell out of these songs through his performances. I’d be tempted to use the word cliché to describe his raised hands clutched into claws, and his wielding of the mic stand like a weapon, if not for how entertaining his stage presence proves! He even spends the penultimate song Jord in the crowd, further endearing him to the audience and allowing us to feel a closer emotional connection to the show as a whole!
MØL’s tight eleven song setlist spans songs from across their three albums, from the distinct black-metal stylings of their debut to the more expansive experimentations of Diorama, to the deeply melodic swerves of new album DREAMCRUSH. Each member performs with absolute precision, proving that the set has been rehearsed to within an inch of its existence. And yet, the set never feels sterile or self-indulgent, showing that these performers have learnt how to keep an audience enthralled and are committed to that art, in spite of their ever-evolving skill as musicians.
“Thank you for choosing to spend your Tuesday with us, and not sitting at home” Sternkopf says at one point during a monologue about the value of human connection. In the case of songs this aggressively beautiful, experiencing them live adds a whole new dimension to both this genre and to live music as a whole!
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