Renowned Danish composer and classically trained multi-instrumentalist, MYRKUR, ascends with ‘Mareridt’s debut single today. “Måneblôt” is a tale which portrays a nightmare engaging a woman, girl, animal, violence, sun and fire worship and the pagan ritual, Blót” Bruun /MYRKUR explains.

‘Mareridt’ (translation: Nightmare) is a rich juxtaposition of the dark and the light; the moon and the mother earth; the witch and the saint. MYRKUR explores deeper into the mysterious and the feminine with 11 tracks that further progress her visionary blend of metal with gorgeous, stirring melodies, dark folk passages, choral arrangements and superb, horrific beauty.

Further taking MYRKUR to new artistic heights are lyrics in multiple languages, an unforgettable collaboration with Chelsea Wolfe and an array of special instrumentation including violin, mandola, folk drums, nyckelharpa (an ancient Swedish key harp), and Kulning (an ancient Scandinavian herding call). ‘Mareridt’ is a profound manifestation of nightmares that demonstrates MYRKUR as one of the truly exceptional artists of our time.

“I wanted to make an album that I always needed to exist but never did,” Bruun explains. “So, I wrote it myself.”

MYRKUR found herself plagued by insufferable nightmares and sleep paralysis. “I was in one of the worst times of my life,” she recalls. “I was afraid to sleep.” She reluctantly lived in her subconscious and tried all the movements that would normally center her: being in nature, swimming, sitting outside and carving wood, but nothing changed.

“You know how they say that when you have been through trauma or abuse, you tend to recreate the situation in an attempt to take ownership of it?” she says. “I think I was doing that. I was trying to solve things [in my nightmares] that I could not solve in real life. Things I could not run away from.”

MYRKUR knew she had to start listening. She stopped trying to shove the nightmares away, and embraced them. She kept a notebook by her bed and documented everything from the recurring symbols, archetypes and animals that crawled around her head. She obsessed over Nordic fairy tales, mythology and folklore. She pulled meaning from Hans Christian Andersen’s Little Mermaid to verses from the Bible, and connected these stories to the spiritual solace she found outside her house. Once the songs started coming, they didn’t stop. MYRKUR would bring a small, string instrument into the forest to write. “It’s very giving,” she says. “Your environment becomes part of the song, and the songwriting. I just love that. Nature changed this record.” She was manic, writing any moment she was awake, expelling the subliminal material like an exorcism.

“This record is very connected to my true self, without an ego or persona,” MYRKUR says. “I am interested in human spirit, when it goes beyond the layers. When I get to that place, I feel invincible.”

‘Mareridt’ was recorded between Copenhagen and Seattle with producer, Randall Dunn (Earth, Marissa Nadler, Sun O))), Boris). Like a marriage of King Diamond’s ‘Them’ with Tchaikovsky’s ‘Swan Lake’, ‘Mareridt’ is a carefully composed concept freed from genre. It flows between English and Danish, from guttural growls charged with testosterone, to emotive feminine hymns and Kulning. The compositions sweep into one another like a soundtrack designed to guide the listener through emotional turmoil. One minute the songs are fighting back, the next lulling you to submission. Lyrically, MYRKUR hatches open the folklore of her Nordic heritage, applying the ancient fables to her personal piety. ‘Mareridt’ toys with juxtaposition and finds life between theoretical opposites. Timeless, triumphant, powerful and hypnotic, ‘Mareridt’ is a sonic nightmare that you never want to escape.

Relapse offers an exclusive, one time pressing deluxe 2LP on red inside clear with blue splatter and custom MYRKUR logo etching on side D; limited to 900. The deluxe version also features alternate cover art painted by Norwegian painter Odd Nerdrum and contains core album on LP 1 plus 5 bonus tracks on LP 2 (not available on CD or single LP versions). Pre-order ‘Mareridt’ now via Relapse.com.

Mareridt Track List:

1. Mareridt
2.  Måneblôt
3. The Serpent
4. Crown
5. Elleskudt
6. De Tre Piker
7. Funeral (featuring Chelsea Wolfe)
8. Ulvinde
9. Gladiatrix
10. Kætteren
11. Børnehjem
12. Death of Days *
13. Kvindelil * (featuring Chelsea Wolfe)
14. Løven *
15. Himlen blev sort *
16. Två Konungabarn *

*(Digital / Deluxe 2xLP Bonus Track)

MYRKUR Tour Dates:

Jul 21 Katowice, PL Metal Hammer Festival
Jul 22 Sheffield, UK Tramlines Festival

Aug 17 Brooklyn, NY Saint Vitus Bar
Aug 19 Las Vegas, NV Psycho Las Vegas

Oct 26 Stockholm, SE Close-Up Baten Cruise

Nov 4 Leeds, UK Damnation Festival

— All Dates Nov 17 to Dec 20 with Solstafir —

Nov 17 London, UK Heaven
Nov 18 Leeuwarden, NL Neushoorn
Nov 19 Lille, FR Beaulieu
Nov 20 Paris, FR Alhambra
Nov 21 Rennes, FR Antipode MKC
Nov 23 Bilbao, ES Santana27
Nov 24 Madrid, ES Caracol
Nov 25 Barcelona, ES Razzmatazz2
Nov 27 Milan, IT Circolo Magnolia
Nov 29 Munich, DE Theaterfabrik
Nov 30 Salzburg, AT Rockhouse
Dec 1 Bologna, IT Locomotiv
Dec 7 Budapest, HU A38
Dec 8 Vienna, AT Arena
Dec 11 Prague, CZ Roxy
Dec 12 Berlin, DE Heimathafen
Dec 13 Cologne, DE Kantine
Dec 15 Rotterdam, NL maasSilo
Dec 16 Brussels, BE VK
Dec 18 Copenhagen, DK Pumpehuset
Dec 20 Stockholm, SE Debaser Strand

Official Links:

Myrkur Official Website
Myrkur on Facebook
Myrkur on Bandcamp
Myrkur on Instagram
Myrkur on Apple Music
Myrkur on Spotify