From their record label's website, "Having dreams can sustain you - give you something to believe in - but the weight of expectation, the burden of reality can also mean that such dreams can become oppressive; they can just as easily shatter you. Denmark's MØL explore the dichotomy of such dreams on their latest album, "DREAMCRUSH" due for release via Nuclear Blast on January 30, 2026. With recurring themes within the album being finding a home for and within yourself, it stands to reason that this iteration of MØL steps up to the plate with a new found confidence, an air of acceptance, and renewed vigor. Presenting the album as a textural and emotional map, MØL invite listeners to explore as they wish, uncovering landmarks and traversing familiar feelings as they go. Informed by a series of disparate life events, the eleven tracks that make up the album are a tapestry of emotions, stitched together with threads of experiences that criss-cross over time and place. MØL offer the opportunity to worship at whatever psychic temple resonates the most."

The album has eleven songs, and "DREAM" is first. Like the title, it enters like warm rays of sunshine, bright, and welcoming. It isn't until the horrid black metal screams that you understand the duality of the album…melodic music, and tortured vocals…for the most part. "Sma Forlis" is faster moving and more aggressive, but the music remains hopeful despite the blackness of the vocals. It seems like a simple and easy paring, but melodies might be the hardest thing to write in all of music, and they do them well. "Young" explores more fun and sentimental melodies, and the harsh vocals cut against like a raging chainsaw mowing down a forest. The melodies are bright, energetic, and sticky. It's amazing how fast the band can shift from passages of light to blackout darkness. "Hud" is straight up pretty. The warm, calming tones invite you in to sit down and enjoy some food with a stranger. Even the bite of the harsh vocals is no match for the sugary melodies.

"Garland" has a gentle but study groove where the quintet rides out a melody like into the sunset. The vocal screams provide the bumps along the way, but when you reach the destination, each one was worth the ride. That big punch of melody in the chorus could knock you out. "Favour" enters like the morning fog lifting from a lush, green landscape, opening a palate of colors that you can only imagine. Soak in those gorgeous melodies…they could turn any bad day to good. The distorted riffs and vocal screams are absolutely livid, but they can't being down the foundation. "A Former Blueprint" reminds me of some of THE CURE's catalogue of music…that positive swing that is tinged with a bit of melancholy. "Dissonance" is another very pretty offering, and the title comes into play with the choppy, aggressive section that follows the smooth legato one.

"Mimic" roars out of the gate with an aggressive bite, but again, melody plays the prominent role, especially after the aggression drops…the minimum of what you are left with says so much. "CRUSH" is the final offering. Given the theme of the album, you might expect this closing song to literally crush you, but I find mostly warm tones amidst the heavy weight of the music. This is an album where Blackgaze breathes and burns. The genre has always lived in contradiction, but what truly sets the band apart is their heightened sense of melody. They steer the songs, and carve pathways through the distortion. They ache…they yearn, and they linger long after the track has collapsed. They prove that heaviness doesn't have to sacrifice melody, and that melody doesn't weaken intensity. Instead, the two feed each other, creating something vast, immersive, and deeply human.