Myrkur is Folk Black Metal project by Amalie Bruun which has received a lot of uncalled for criticism by Black Metal Elitists.
Myrkur is one of the most beautiful creations that has come out of Black Metal. It is a ethereal and elven like. Musically there is no reason for anyone to dislike Myrkur or its creator Amalie Bruun. It has all the beauty and hideousness that makes for great genuine black metal.
The Elitists Gender Issues
Some Metal elitists dislike Myrkur for only one reason and that is because Amalie Bruun is female. Those individuals must obviously have some kind of gender grudge and would like to reserve Black Metal as a male only territory.
Music should be judged on its own merit and not on the gender of its creator. Some female fronted Metal bands do have a very generic uninspired sound and have built their success purely on the fact that female vocalists in metal are or where rare, and therefore are a novelty.
That is not the case for Myrkur. Myrkur is appreciated by its fans for the quality of the music alone. Aside from the silly gender issue lets explore the real reason why Myrkur is supposedly a sell-out.
Why Amalie Bruuns Past as a Model and Pop Singer does not Constitute a Sell-Out
Before the rise of Myrkur its creator Amalie Bruun was a model and a pop singer. Well there is clearly nothing black metal about models or pop singers and there is no disputing that. But Modelling and Pop singing is what Amalie Bruun did to earn money. Lets think about this and what other people do to earn money including Black metal musicians, Black Metal elitists, Internet trolls and even you.
Most musicians would have worked for various companies before they could make a living of their music and abandon their shitty jobs. The majority of jobs are for some commercial undertaking which is hugely anti black metal by nature. If Amalie Bruun is a sell-out because she was a Model than what does that make anyone else who has worked at a fast food company like Mc Donald’s for instance. weather you like it or not many of the Black Metal Elitists and trolls on the internet labelling Myrkur a sell-out are themselves holding exactly such jobs.
There are a couple of elements that constitute a Black Metal Band or musician as a sell out. The band or musician commercialises the music in order to appeal to the larger masses while compromising that which makes black Metal genuine. Such bands will then drive the final nail in to the sell out coffin by prostituting themselves by endorsing commercial products, and that is a offence to a black metal purist. Black metal stands for anti commercialism
Amalie Bruun has done the exact opposite. Myrkur was never commercialised instead it was conceived far away from the commercial influences of pop. She initially released Myrkur anonymously to stand on its own merit. Myrkur was never created for commercial appeal, Al of Amalie Bruun’s love and passion went in to Myrkur regardless of who loved it or hated it.
Myrkur is not a sell-out. All the Black metal elitists and Purists should think about how they earn their money before they attack Amalie Bruun for how she earned her money before the birth of Myrkur. Because being a model is no less of a sell out than being a fast food worker for instance the only difference is that medals are more visible to the public eye.
Amalie Bruun also uses a lot of old and ancient instruments that aper to be unbranded or or where made by a Luthier way back which is anything but a endorsement for a company. How Black Metal is that.