61. Myrkur - 'Folkesange'

There are two distinct sides to Amalie Bruun. There is the bewitching Black Metal queen, putting her nightmares to music via haunting distortion and there is the diligent custodian of Nordic folksong, painstakingly preserving the traditional sounds of a pre-Christian Norway. After two albums where she has let the former persona run rampant, “Folkesange” allows the other side of her personality to take centre stage. “Folkesange” is first and foremost a folk album, but don’t let that fool you. It is still as dark and disturbing as anything that Metal can muster. This is a collection of traditional songs from across Scandinavia,that detail the struggles of scratching out an existence in some of the most hostile environments on earth. Its mournful and full of sorrow, the pains of a hard life put into song. She also uses period instruments such as mandola, lyre, nyckelharpa and talharpa. “Folkesange” may be stark and stripped back, but it is not gentle. It is a powerful and poignant record that shows yet again that less is very much more.