Now that genre classifications and divisions are falling apart, music is becoming a fluid thing and is flowing in new and unexpected directions. In the realms of heavy music, no band encapsulates that pioneering spirit more than Denmark’s MØL, a quintet who’ve been exploring new territory since their formation in 2012. Post-black metal, shoegaze, blackgaze, and post-metal are all terms that have been thrown at this crew and truth be told, they are all of these things and more. It’s an approach to music that’s given them an exorbitant amount of freedom and it’s something they’ve put to good use on their third album, Dreamcrush. A shapeshifting affair that twists and turns over the course of eleven elastic cuts, this long player is sure to take MØL from the darkness of the underground and out towards the light.
Despite being presented in all caps, ‘DREAM’ sets off in an understated fashion, but one thing you learn quickly when approaching a MØL album is to always expect the unexpected. Tone and timbre are used to great effect, placing the listener in a kind of altered state, a dreamlike sensation is created, only to be rudely shattered by a harsh wall of sonics: it is the musical equivalent of being awoken by a splash of cold water, and the effect is really quite startling. It’s a move that will echo throughout this album with loud sections nestling next to the quiet and dark, dense sonics contrasted with light, airy moments. Like stepping into a hall of mirrors, Dreamcrush constantly repositions the listener, altering our perception and point of view by way of tone and tonality; at one moment this album is angry and assailing the listener with a blistering black metal blast, at others it is introspective and soothed by sublime shoegaze. The feeling is of an album very much in motion, and despite the sonic shifts the songs flow into each other seamlessly. Yet even within individual songs there is a constant rotation, wheels within wheels, cogs turned by cogs, there’s an interlocking motion that renders Dreamcrush an unstoppable force.
The greatest benefit of MØL’s modus operandi is that nothing is off limits: within these eleven tracks you’ll not only find various strains of metal, but also elements of emo, screamo, and even a pop sensibility (shock! horror!). It means that MØL’s sound is wide enough to attract fans far beyond the usual subjects, so don’t be surprised to find both hardcore kids and metalheads kicking things up in the pit on the band’s upcoming tour. In a case of fortune favouring the brave, MØL have struck pure gold from their musical alchemy and in doing so offer a tantalising glimpse at the future of metal.
- Dreamcrush is released via Nuclear Blast Records on 30th January 2026.
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Track List:
1. DREAM
2. Små Forlis
3. Young
4. Hud
5. Garland
6. Favour
7. A Former Blueprint
8. ∞
9. Dissonance
10. Mimi
11. CRUSH
