By Jase Walker
For the first of a string of three gigs this week, I’m back in Rebellion to see Danish blackgazers MØL smash it up once again. One of the bands I will never get tired of seeing and especially not with a headline set after their 2021 album, ‘Diorama’, more than likely making up a large chunk of tonight’s set. For this tour they’ve got Countless Skies who I’m seeing for the first time after listening to them a bunch over the past year or so, no local support for this stop though which is a bit of a shame…
A drony, atmospheric intro signals Countless Skies‘ walk onto the stage as the electric cello begins their set. As the rest of the band kicks in the sound seems quite muddy to start as I can’t really pick up what the guitars and bass are doing, hopefully that should get fixed as the set goes on.
Admittedly I forgot how much of a symphonic focus this band has, similar to the likes of Ne Obliviscaris. The mix of fast rhythmic playing against the slower, more relaxed cello melodies is a fantastic juxtaposition. They’ve also got a backing track that adds some extra layers with more strings and a choir and now we’re a bit further into the set the sound seems a bit more even despite the bass drum still being quite strong.
Their mix between forceful black metal moments and more ambient melodic sections really shines on their live sets as you can feel the tension build before giving way to beautifully executed crescendos. It’s noted that having live cello in this instance doesn’t seem to be a regular thing as they’ve made mention of them being along with them on this particular tour, no complaints though as I think live strings in metal is a wonderful addition: STARSET are a massive proponent of that. Countless Skies have absolutely been worth the watch and this niche of blackened symphonic metal is ever growing and no longer the almost exclusive sole property of large bearded Scandinavians, great set.
And finally for tonight, time to get screamed at by a Dane, let’s see what MØL have in store! Fortunately for these, the guitars, bass, and vocals are on par with the strength of the drums so we’re off to a good start. They’re going hard on the use of strobes on this show as well so it’s a bit hard on the eyes. Admittedly the crowd response is a little lukewarm so far with people mostly just head bobbing a bit but nobody is really going wild barring maybe a couple, I suppose it is Wednesday though! Their singer picks up on this with an open space down the front and decides to get things moving a bit by jumping into the middle of the crowd to scream at people up close and personal!
Two things always stand out to me with MØL’s live shows and that’s how their singer can manage to get through a whole set (nevermind a full tour) with his particular style of retching uncleans, but also how bittersweet their music is as well as how it translates so well in a live set. I’m also quite surprised how their singers managed to avoid smacking another member of the band or the ceiling with how much he’s been swinging his mic stand around as well, often twisting and contorting himself in all manner of positions while holding it.
To see MØL climb up through the venues and support slots over the years and eventually to their own headline tour through the EÜ and ÜK has been a fantastic journey to have witnessed. Despite the somewhat lackluster crowd antics, although they’ve clearly enjoyed it, the band has put so much heart into this show and they’re visibly buzzed to be able to do this as a headline show. Big up these Danes, getting to the point of touring as a headline show for what is still a somewhat niche style of heavy music is no small feat, a real class act.
Definitely not a show for photosensitive people with the unbelievable amount of strobes though, so fair warning if you’re going to see them at some point!
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