In 2008, Ulvtyr and Heruhim formed the band Morcaint. Together, they started work on an album which they wrote, but ultimately never recorded. And so, the project was put on hold, while the band members went on to play Black Metal in acts like Blodtår. But eventually they found each other again and continued with what they had left behind. The result is two tracks on their debut EP ‘Elessar’, released by the esteemed Nordvis Produktion.
For the band’s first release they let themselves be inspired by Lord of the Rings. This is reflected in the song titles and the lyrics, but composer Heruhim even drew inspiration from the soundtrack of the film trilogy composed by Howard Shore in the second track of the EP, ‘O Lórien!’. Meant to portray the sorrowful ponderings of Galadriel who contemplates the growing darkness in the east, ‘O Lórien!’ emphasizes a more midpaced side of the music of Morcaint, heavily infused with Dissection-like riffs draped in an atmosphere that combines the likes of old Emperor, Falkenbach and Dimmu Borgir. Emphasis on midpaced doesn’t mean the band does like to change the pace, and in particular the entrancing ending with haunting female vocals and blasting drums over a backdrop of spoken samples is downright glorious and beautiful. The more uptempo opener ‘Elessar’ is a slightly different track that equally draws from Dissection and Summoning yet represents a more upfront side of the band. Its driving higher paced melodies and combined yearning atmosphere, together with almost catchy vocal lines make it another highlight of melody-driven Swedish Black Metal. While Summoning and Falkenbach influences appear in their music, Morcaint stays away from the more obvious folky sound and only sporadically uses clean vocals, focussing more on combining the harsh and melodic Black Metal with an icecold Lord of the Rings inspired atmosphere.
Personally I’m looking forward to more material of the band. It may have taken Morcaint 15 years to release their first recording, but it has proven to be worth the wait. ‘Elessar’ sounds recognizable yet fresh and is another badge of honour on the Nordvis Produktion roster.
