From Bandcamp, “M​ú​r” is the self-titled debut album by Iceland's rising force of somber, atmospheric and contemporary metal. It’s a captivating fusion of post-rock and modern progressive metal, taking listeners on a journey of self-discovery.” Century Media Records comments: “With a sound that defies generic labels and a vision that stretches the limits of creativity, “Múr” are the latest descendants from Iceland’s volcanic underground. The emerging quintet are forging a new era of dark, atmospheric and boundary shattering metal. With progressive sensibilities, a talent to cohesively juxtapose atmospheric textures with polished technicality, and a focus on jazz study among the fresh-faced instrumentalists, “Múr” is already proving itself to be a reckoning force.”

The album has seven songs, and “Eldhaf” is first. The first few bars are gentle and charming, and then you can hear the freight train coming around the bend. The riff that it lands on is firmer and darker, but melodies still break through. From there, it is a relatively smooth ride through mostly somber times. The title track has angrier and darker tones, accentuated by harsh vocals and some unusual chord progressions, and I get a little OPETH here. Both the backing keyboard notes and the bass guitar play a welcomed role in rounding out the edges of this song. Segueing into “Frelsari,” we get some double bass drums, and a heavier bottom end. There are also some Progressive elements, mainly in the way the band subtly shifts the meter.

“Virtun” has a dissonant mixture of legato keyboards, chugging guitars, and harsh vocals, and the band almost combines them perfectly. Clean vocals shine through the muddy landscape with a surprising twist, and the melodies that come towards the end are wonderful. “Messa” turns back to angry and violent tones, and the ominous nature of the keyboard notes supports this. “Heimsslit” features a psychedelic keyboard sequence that segues into darkness rising and spreading. This song breathes pure fire and resolve from hate, and perhaps, disillusionment. “Holskefla” closes the album, and it has both dissonant and melodic tones. It wanders through the frozen tundra of their homeland like a mammoth looking for a place to rest.

This is a very promising debut album, and they have almost reached the pinnacle already…but not quite. They do nearly everything right on the album except for varying the pacing of the songs. They set out with a boundless vision of where the music can take them, and don’t put any restraints on themselves, and that is a good starting point. But the crawling nature of the songs holds back the total advancement of the album. Still, this is a band to keep an eye on for sure.