Sword and Sorcery: Murk Rider's Adventurous Black Metal Rides Out on New EP (Early Stream)
Do You Refuse The Demon's Call?
When I was contacted by Murk Rider regarding their new EP, The Murk Rider, I was already intrigued due to the success of their 2019 release Exile of Shadows. I then saw The Murk Rider coming out on Fiadh Productions, who is already becoming a foundational label in the dungeon synth scene. This seemed even more perfect. Then, Derek Schultz sent me back detailed information regarding each song on this EP, a lot of it having to do with science fiction and fantasy, so I knew this was going to be easy. Then, right before we were to publish this, they sent me promo artwork that looked like the coolest paperback science fiction novel with yellowing paper edges.
Murk Rider is everything you don't expect from black metal, or if you have been listening to black metal for any amount of time, everything you could come to expect. Sure there are tons of traditional aesthetic exemplified by bands just as much as unorthodox. Black metal is less about challenging the old guard as much as it is about bands having the freedom to do whatever they want. From cover to logo, to themes, Murk Rider have forged their own path and upon footstones such as 30 minute songs, cosmic synth, and now covers of Uriah Heep. The Murk Rider is a new scrapbook which highlights the band's patchwork of influence. You can preview it right now:
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The Murk Rider is a collection of new material and covers which is mechanically material left over and in production between albums. While this period can easily be a stopgap between albums, Murk Rider has zero reason to do anything else besides what they want. This is why the centerpiece "Go into the Magic Darkness" is around 15 minutes with the closing Berlin school style synth track "The Fires of Creation" around the same time. What lies between is a handful of covers, poetry, and sound collages which are like posters tacked on the walls of a basement bedroom. The covers of Uriah Heep's "Rainbow Demon" and Sodom's "Outbreak of Evil" are the best example of showcasing the genealogical roots of this band as progressive hard rock and first wave black metal is the type of aesthetic mashup we have all been secretly wanting.
Murk Rider is much of a place of escape as it is creation and The Murk Rider is an avatar of collage. It is sometimes a devil, at others a samurai, or even sometimes an interstellar heroine descending from the skies with a giant glowing sword. It is 2024 and listening to black metal can be anything you really want it to be and many times can be everything. You can be spooky if you want to or be a space shaman from some 1980's VHS tape no one has heard of. Whatever it is, it is done from a place of excitement which lies at the core. I'm glad this band reached out but to be honest we might have already known each other in some past life reading Conan comics surrounded by "water vases" in some smoky garage. I'm glad to have met you again, space travelers.
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The Murk Rider releases on April 19th. Tapes will be available via Fiadh Productions and digital pre-orders can be found on Murk Rider's Bandcamp.
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