Myrkà – “13” (2010)

Label: Cave Music / Töfrahellirinn

Review by Tony Cannella

Not too many bands are coming from the country of Iceland these days. The band Myrkà just so happen to come from that country, and they are just about the only band I can think of that hail from Iceland. The band describe their sound as ‘death pop’ and that is as fitting a description as any since I really can’t think off what genre or sub-genre they would fit into. Their debut release goes by the title of “13” and musically the band is difficult to describe. “13” features 13-songs (naturally) and 58-minutes worth of interesting music that can be bit of an adventure to listen to at times, but after a few listens, I found myself humming along to the songs and impressed with the whole presentation. The band features a Hammond Organ as a prominent instrument, which is immediately very different for a lot of today’s metal, giving the songs almost a Uriah Heep or (early) Deep Purple classic sounding vibe at times. The lead vocalist is Guony Lara Gunnarsdottir and she brings a raspy sounding voice to the band. Her voice is very consistent with the music and definitely has a charm about it that grew on me with each listen. Some highlights include: “Unborn”, “My Prison”, “Soon”, “All Is Lost” and “Now It’s Gone”. The final track, “Reborn” turned out to be my favorite as it wraps things up beautifully. The music and songs on “13” have a dark vibe to them. Myrkà, may not appeal to the mainstream metal fan, but I am sure that they will have no problem in finding their niche in the metal community. With the release of, “13” are Myrkà here to usher in a new (or first?) era of Icelandic metal? Only time will tell.

Rating – 77/100

Tracklist

1. Unborn
2. Untouched
3. Sad World
4. Mind of Sadness
5. Lost
6. My Prison
7. My Inner Self
8. Soon
9. All Is Lost
10. Now It’s Gone

Line Up

• Guony Lara Gunnarsdottir – Vocals & Flute
• Stefàn Orn Vioarsson – Hammond Organ & Backing Vocals
• Guojon Svanur Hermannsson – Guitars
• Helgi Jonsson – Drums

Links

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