Review Summary: Whimsical, theatrical, and manically euphoric.
Lamp of Murmuur often gets lumped in with the raw black metal label. I don’t think this project fits well within this category, and listeners who encounter the project expecting a traditional raw black metal sound may be disappointed. This is nothing new. Lamp of Murmuur is theatrical, whimsical, and (dare I say) sometimes playful, all dressed in gothic romanticism across his discoraphy. His vocals, at first glance, may be perceived as pure rage, but I would challenge the listener to look deeper and hear a raw expression of emotion being channeled. While anger may be present, what I hear is unbridled feeling: passion, ecstasy, and intensity expressed at a manic level.
I also want to touch on M’s musicianship and compositional skill. While this is a one-man project, he delivers virtuoso-level performances on guitar, bass, drums, and synths. All of this is composed in a way that feels baroque in nature. This doesn’t surprise me in the least. In a recent interview, he cited Prince as a major influence. At first, this influence may seem odd, but when listening across his discography with that in mind, it becomes clear. Here we have a black metal musician aspiring to a similar level of craft and musicianship. Here we have the Prince of black metal or The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy.
I think this context is important when approaching his most recent release, The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy. This album represents the culmination of that vision, and it is executed masterfully. It is whimsical, theatrical, and manically euphoric. Riffs are accentuated by symphonic flourishes (“Forest of Hallucinations”). Vocals explore the gamut of human emotion within a single song (“The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy, Part I – Moondance”), and entire compositions transport the listener to a euphoric world of of bitter sweet light (“A Brute Angel’s Sorrow”).
M is a figure masked in anonymity, yet this is his most personal record to date. He is the prince on this album. This is his dream and it is a dream filled with ecstatic emotion.
