MYRKUR makes a transfixing return to our shores.
THE DOME, LONDON
Amalie Bruun brings a night of contrasts and electrifying wonder
As the rain and wind lash down on the cold, dark streets outside, it’s fair to say that London isn’t awash with feelings of joy and goodwill. Inside the Dome, though, there is something happening to inspire feelings of ethereal wonder; 2018 was quite a year for Amalie Bruun, and this evening offers assurance that the momentum is going to continue. Even before MYRKUR step onstage there is a very different atmosphere here to the usual one you’d find at a metal show – as dimmed lights make out the faintest silhouette of the woodland stage set and wistful folk music plays over the PA, there is a palpable sense of quiet and reserved anticipation from the sold-out crowd. It’s the perfect aperitif to a set that starts slow and restrained and builds to a deafening crescendo
– a set that is superbly pitched and showcases just why Amalie has quickly become one of the most revered artists currently operating in our world. The first half an hour is made up of traditional Scandinavian folk songs interspersed with some of Amalie’s own songs. They’re both hauntingly, achingly beautiful and receive a reception of completely respectful near-silence.
While it’s an enjoyable warm-up, the second half is where this evening truly soars. After a short interlude, where the quiet folk over the PA from before is replaced by a screaming wall of electronic white noise and oppressive strobes, Myrkur return with Amalie now in a white dress and her band all clad in black cloaks. What follows is both sonically and visually breathtaking. Firstly, not many bands have come to the Dome and made such an effort with the visuals and light show. Bright, vibrant greens and reds flash across the stage as the band thrash around to dense, doomy black metal soundscapes. It would be disingenuous, though, to suggest that what elevates Myrkur above so much from this scene is anything other than the voice that Amalie possesses. Even though her screamed vocals are not let loose until over an hour after she set foot onstage, her range, tone and pitch leave everyone inside the venue shaking their head in disbelief. On a song like The Serpent, the combination of arcane heaviness and otherworldly beauty working in such perfect tandem is what makes this evening one of the very best gigs in recent months.