MYRHOLT is a one-man black metal band from Norway, who formed in 2016. Their latest album “Blandede Meninger Og Aforismer,” is the project’s eighth full-length album; four EPs have also been released. This is my first experience of Ole's music so I don’t have much of a basis to go on but I enjoyed the time I spent with this album; It’s a solid combination of old school tendencies mixed with an atmospheric format. The best element of the album is that, with the exception of “Ritual,” (which amounts to basically a long interlude), every song on here has a standout moment or section that grabs my attention. It might be a keyboard passage, a snare hit, or a blackened scream but the album always keeps engagement levels high.

The opening song, “Se Det Mennesket; menneskelig, altfor menneskelig,” is blanketed with keyboards made of sweeping declarations but they don’t go overboard—this isn’t exactly what I would consider symphonic. It’s not as bombastic as all that, the keys an integral part of the song’s fabric but not trying to steal the show. The vocal rhythms are surprisingly catchy and add a good flow to the structure, highlighted by really solid drumming. I like the passage that begins at 6:34, when the song pulls back on the tempo and lets the guitars breathe with thick riffs. “Fra varde til varde, for faen!,” has a more sinister tone, both in the keys and the guitars. The vocals are more threatening as well—this song is very pervasive! Around the 2:48 mark, these more aggressive parts pull back spoken word and melodic riffs. It sounds very convincing and compliments the previous engagements while setting the song up for a more theatrical ending where the riffs ands keys meld into one cohesive force.

“La oss tale om katarsis; om lidelse og sorti” is bleak and sorrowful, the riffs tuned to pure melancholy. I like the melodic bass, it drives a drive rhythm while keeping in tune with the song’s atmosphere. The song is very subtle in its progression, getting heavier as it moves along especially with the drums pushing up the intensity. “Endelikt; lavere enn nullpunktet, mindre enn ingenting” is perhaps my favorite on the album; the clean vocals in the beginning are a surprising but welcome detail. There is a sense of roaring danger underneath the music that boils just under the service.

All in all, Myrholt’s “Blandede Meninger Og Aforismer,” is a wonderfully balanced album between two different approaches to black metal and effectively combines them together with interesting songs.