Celtic

Celtic

среда, 4. јануар 2017.

Recenzija: Myrkgrav – Taak og farvel, ida er blitt ei annen, (2016.)


Myrkgrav – Taak og farvel, ida er blitt ei annen
[Scroll down for English] 
Iza one-man projekta Myrkgrav stoji čovek koji se zove Lars Jensen.  On je zadužen za sve instrumente i vokale.  Od gostujućih muzičara, na ovom albumu je Lars angažovao Olava Luksengårda Mjelvea, čoveka koji je jedan od vodećih umetnika na hardinger violini.  Bas na sedam pesama je odsvirao Erland Antonsen, dok je clean vokale ne jednoj pesmi odradio Berndt Fjellestad.  Kao projekat, Myrkgrav se pojavljuje 2003, i odmah na početku se nameće kao veoma snažan konceptualan projekat sa jakim lirskim i vizuetlin tematskim vezama sa folklorom i istorijom Larsone domovine, Ringerike u Norveškoj.  Muzički, Myrkgrav je u osnovi ekstremni metal projekat, sa jakim osloncem na norvešku folk muziku.  Iako je u početku projekat bio na nivou sobnog black metal one-man projekta, vremenom je Myrkgrav izrastao u veoma zanimljivu i muzički složenu mešavinu nekoliko muzičkih stilova, ali i dalje je zadržava ekstremna metal osnova.  Ovo je dakle projekat koji se ne plaši da dopusti svom zvuku da evoluira.

Neko bi možda odmah rekao da je deset godina predug period izmedju dva albuma, ali upravo toliko je prošlo izmedju prvenca Trollskau, Skrømt og Kølabrenning (2006) i Taak og farvel, ida er blitt ei annen (izašao 26. oktobra ove godine na svim streaming servisima).  Kada ostane tako duga praznina izmedju dva albuma fanovi obično počnu da strepe da će bend koji budu čuli biti nešto potpuno drugačije od onog koji su slušali.  Ne retko se upravo to i desi, ali u nekim slučajevima to bude na dobro, a ne retko to bude razlog za razočarenje fanova koji su očekivali da čuju nešto drugo.  Generalno, u muzici su inovacije dvosekli mač i skopčane sa puno rizika.  Medjutim, u slučaju Myrkgrava, izgleda da je Larson uspeo da napravi album koji je logična progresija od onoga što se moglo čuti na debiju.  Ono što je možda i najveći Larsenov kredit na ovom albumu, jeste činjenica da je uspeo da tradicionalne norveške folk instrumente učini integralnim delom Myrkgrav muzičkog miksa, a ne da ih koristi samo radi stvaranja atmosfere. 
Na moju veliku žalost, kao što i sam naslov albuma nedvosmisleno nagoveštava (Taak og farvel, ida er blitt ei annen znači „Hvala i zbogom, vremena su se promenula“), ovo je isto tako i poslednji Myrkgrav album jer je Larson odlučio da ugasi ovaj projekat.  Činjenica je da se vremena menjaju, a sa njima se menjaju i ljudi, i to je neizbežno.  Zbog te činjenice, najprirodnije je bilo da u ovaj album budu uvršteni i novi aranžmani ili ponovno snimanje nekih starih pesama, što je ispalo kao svojevrsno muzičko odavanje slave starom Myrkgravu. 
Dok slušate album imate utisak kao da kroz durbin posmatrate prošla vremena, kulturu Ringerikea, Krokskogena, Nordmarka i Lommdalena, kao i okolnih oblasti u kojima je sam Larson odrastao.  Ovo vam dodje kao neka istorijska i kulturna razglednica, pretočena u muziku.  Pesma za pesmom vam pred oči donosi rukom crtanu ilustraciju u maniru poznatog norveškog autora, iliustratora, slikara i crtača stripova Kjella Aukrusta.  Nema štedjenja, jer je Myrkgrav u onome što je radio uvek bio epitom davanja fanovima punog paket-aranžmana.  Zbog toga je Larson ovog puta, zajedno sa Olavom Luksengårdom Mjelveom, osmislio čitav prateći vizuelni doživljaj onoga što ovaj album želi da predstavi – svet davno zaboravljenih priča i legendi, koje su bukvalno oživele u rukama i na instrumentima ova dva vrsna umetnika.  Njih dvojica su uspeli da ih vrate u istoriju i učine ih ponovo njenim integralnim delom.
Myrkgrav su definitivno jedan od onih projekata o kojem bi ljubitelji folk-metala trebali mnogo više da znaju, a odgovor na pitanje „zašto to nije tako“ sigurno treba tražiti negde u činjenici da je bend scenu počastio samo jednim full-lengthom pre ovog albuma.  Dok ga slušate, u misli vam naviru bendovi i projekti koji neguju sličnu folk-pozadinu – švedski Utmarken, Borknagar ili Enslaved, Baldrs Draumar ili Grimner, pa čak i Ishahnov projekat Hardingrok dolazi ovde u jednačinu.  Ali u isto vreme, ono šta Larson radi je ipak drugačije od pomenutih bendova i projekata.  Sve pesme sa vokalima su otpevane na norveškom jehziku, osim „Skjøn Jomfru“ koja je otpevana i na engleskom.  A kako bi i bilo drugačije, jer folk-projekat koji koristi bilo koji drugi jezik osim maternjem bi bio besmislen.  Žešće i više black metal orijentisane pesme su jednako dobre, kao što su više folk orijentisane pesme i instrumentali tako maestralno odradjeni da uspevaju da vas prenesu u vreme i priču o kojoj govore.  Produkcija je zaista odgovarajućeg kvaliteta, što dopušta svim folk instrumentima da dobiju odgovarajuće mesto u miksu.  „Finnkjerringa“ i „Om Å Danse Bekhette“ su pomenute dve starije pesme koje su oživljene na ovom albumu, i zaista, izbor je bez greške, jer ove pesme nekako savršeno zvuče u društvu novijih pesama, ovako osavremenjene.  I zaista, jako je teško iz ovako kompaktnog i snažnog albuma izdvojiti neke pesme koje kvalitetom odskaču od celine.  U slučaju ovog Myrkgravovog albuma, ovo bi bilo krajnje nelegitimno, jer bi se izgubio doživljaj koji ovaj album upravo i jedino kao celina pruža.  Jako mi je žao što od Myrkgrava više nećemo čuti ništa novo, ali jedno je sigurno, Myrkgrav su svoju priču završili najbolje što su mogli, jednim od najboljih folk-metal albuma koje sam ja ikada čuo.  I ne, folk-metal nije samo muzika uz koju se dobro napije i igra.  Ne!  Myrkgrav je ovim albumom pokazao da je folk-metal itekako važan žanr metal muzike, koji može da sceni da veoma kvalitetne albume, a ovo je sigurno jedan od njih. 

Myrkgrav – Taak og farvel, ida er blitt ei annen
folk metal
Pest Production, (2016.)

Ocena: 10/10.
Recenziju napisao: Igor Živić




       



Myrkgrav – Taak og farvel, ida er blitt ei annen

Behind the one-man project Myrkgrav is a manwhose name is Lars Jensen.  He is doing all instruments and vocals.  On this album he has had some guest musitians – Olav Luksengård Mjelve, the man who is one of leading artists on hardinger violine, bass on seven tracks was plaied by Erland Antonsen, and clean vocals on one track were done by Berndt Fjellestad.  As a project, Myrkgrav appears in 2003, and right from the beginning it shows itself as a strong conceptual project with strong lyrical and visual thematic connections witht he folklore and history of Larsons motherland, Ringerike in Norway.  Musically, Myrkgrav is in its basis, a extreme metal project, with strong leanings towards Norwegian
folk music.  Although in the beginning the project was at the level of room-black metal, with the time passing Myrkgrav has grown up in a very interesting and musically very demanding mix of several musical styles, but still this extreme metal basis was present.  So, what you have in front of you, is a project that is not afraid to let its sound to evolve.
Someboody might say already that ten years is a period of time that is too long in between two albums, but this is exactly hot musc time passed between the debue Trollskau, Skrømt og Kølabrenning (2006) and Taak og farvel, ida er blitt ei annen (got released in October 26th on all streaming services).  When such a long time distance is left in between two albums fans usually beginn to fear that the band that they would hear would be something totally different from what they used to listen.  Often this is exactl what happens.  In some cases that come out good for the band and the fans, but often it becomes the main reason for dissapontment of fans that expected to hear something else.  Generally, in the world of music innovations are a double edged sword, connected eith a lot of risk.  In the case of Myrkgrav, it looks like that Larson succeded in making an album that is a logical progression from what we could hear at the debue.  The thing that might be even the biggest Larson’s credit on this album is the fact that he managed to make traditional norwegian folk instruments to be an integral part of Myrkgrav’s musical mix, and not to use them only for the sake of atmosphere. I was devastated to hear that, as the album title foreshadows (Taak og farvel, ida er blitt ei annen means “Thank you and good bye, the time has changed”), this is the last Myrkgrav’s album, because Larson has decided to end this project.  The fact is that the time has really changed, and that people are changing with them, and that is unavoidable.  Because of that, it has been reasonable ti include in this album some new arangements of some old tracks, which appears to be some kind of musical glorification of old Myrkgrav.
During the time you will spend listening to this album, you will be under the impression of looking through the mignifying glass some past times, culture of Ringerike, Krokskogen, Nordmark and Lommdalen, and surrounding areas in which Larson has grown up.  This album looks like some kind of historical and cultural postcard, transferred into music.  Song after song are bringing in front of your eyes a hand drown illustration in the way of well known Norwegian author, illustrator, painter and cartoonist Kjell Aukrust.  There is no holding behind, because Myrkgrav was always so deep into giving the full package to the fans.  Because of that, this time, Larosn together with Olav Luksengård Mjelve, thought out the whole visual experience of what this album wants to present – the world of long ago forgotten stories and legends, that were resurrected in the hands and on the instruments of these two artists.  The two of them have managed to bring them back to life, and make them an integral part of the history, once again.
Myrkgrav are definitelly one of those projets that fans of folk-metal should know much more off, and the answer to the question “why is this not so” should be looked after in the fact that the band has only one full-length album so far.  And untill you listen to it, you will definitelly remember other bands and projects that are nurturing similar folk-background – Swedish Utmarken, Borknagar or Enslaved, Baldrs Draumar or Grimner, and even Ishahn’s project Hardingrock.  But in the same time, what Larson is dooing is a different story alltogether.  All songs with vocals have been sangd in native Norwegian language, except „Skjøn Jomfru“ that was sangd in English too.  The heavyer and more black metal oriented songs are equally good, as those which are more folk oriented or even instrumentals.  The latter ones are so masterfully done that the are complementing to the time and the story other songs are talking about.  Production is good, and it helpes to all folk instruments to get the proper place in the mix.  „Finnkjerringa“ and „Om Å Danse Bekhette“ are two older tracks that were re-recorded, and their choice is a spot on, because they sound so perfectlly fitting in the company of newer tracks.
It is very hard to pick some tracks that are standing out from the rest of the album that is so compact and strong as this one is.  In the case of this Myrkgrav’s album, even to try to do this is extremely illegit, because the listenet would loose the experience that this album only as the whole can give.  I am sad because we will not hear anything new from Myrkgrav in the future, but one is for sure – Myrkgrav has finished their story the best they could – with one of the best folk-metal albums that I’ve ever heard.  And not, folk-metal is not only a music that you can make you numb from alcohol with and dance your feet out.  No!  Myrkgrav has showh with this album that folk-metal is very important sub-genre of metal music, that can give to the scene very good albums, and this one is for sure one of them.


Myrkgrav – Taak og farvel, ida er blitt ei annen
folk metal
Pest Production, (2016.)

Mark: 10/10.
Made by: Igor Živić


 
                                     

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