Edmund Sackbauer, May 1st, 2019 
Written based on this version: 2019, CD, Leviaphonic Records (Digipak, Limited edition)

Swedish black metal is always worth a look so based on that and the pretty awesome cover artwork I gave Murdryck a shot – and boy I am glad I did. Although this is my first contact with this band it seems that they have been making music together for nearly two decades and based on that fact it does not come as surprise that “Födelsen” sounds very mature and stringent.

Instead of trying to find a completely new sound Murdryck took inspirations from the big Scandinavian bands of the nineties and injected some of their own ideas to make the music come across fresh and energetic. The main riffs might sound familiar but some of the chord progressions feel like a modernized twist on something that has been written decades ago. A lot of the trademark chops are repeated over and over again but often with subtle variation lending the music a slightly monotonous but also hypnotical and very stringent character.

Combining various strains of black metal, including traditional, atmospheric, depressive, and even hints of progressive, the music of Murdryck is quite unique in feel once given time to work its dark magic on you. The classic tremolo runs can be found here as well but there is an omnipresent orchestral and symphonic feeling to the music lifting it above your average black metal release. The astonishing lead harmonies are always present in the background providing a lot of haunting harmonies and lending the whole music an epic and moody character. The guys from Murdryck have put a lot of emphasis on creating an atmosphere that is eerie and dark yet has a certain kind of melancholic beauty.

While the guitars are the star of the show both bass and drums are also worth mentioning, the former clearly audible and a solid counterpart to the upfront riffs, while the latter are far from the programmed monotony that often spoils music like this, diverse and technical-sounding. Murdryck do not shy away from weaving elements like acoustic sections or some mellow samples into the overall sound and thanks to their great understanding for songwriting all these pieces are perfectly implemented into the bigger picture. “Födelsen” feels like one connected piece of art that should be consumed as a whole in one go.

The vocals are creepy with the snarling delivery perfectly fitting into the overall sound. Rounded off by a very professional and powerful production job “Födelsen” is for sure one of my personal black metal highlights 2019.