Although a new discovery for me personally, Mistur is a band from Norway that formed in 2003 and In Memoriam is their second album, following on from 2009’s Attende.
There’s a definite Sognametal vibe to the music, which certainly isn’t a bad thing, but there’s more to the music than that, with a fantastic underlying complexity to it all and plenty of powerfully passionate vocal lines you may well find yourself wanting to sing along to during the cleanly-delivered moments.
Distant Peaks is a particularly memorable song, featuring a nigh-on frenetic drumline beneath the wall of guitars as the song kicks off and when the vocals kick in, they hit you like a tonne of bricks and every element of the track just gels so well together, with the long instrumental section in the middle dividing the track up nicely and it helps to maintain your interest as the track progresses due to the variety featured within it.
Another great inclusion is the penultimate track The Sight, which also happens to be one of the longest tracks of In Memoriam. Beginning with some fairly simplistic guitars, it adds atmosphere to the track before the full band joins in and the track properly gets going. The little synth elements in the song are used to great effect, using the “less is more” approach, and give the track a subtle boost as a result.
All in all, In Memoriam is a great album, and one you’ll keep wanting to come back to. A highly recommended listen, particularly for those who are fans of Windir.
8/10
