Muhr

Mühr are a doom outfit from Amsterdam. With “Shepherd/Blood” a (limited 12″ vinyl release) they’ve made an incredible first release, which is easily the best thing I’ve heard so far this year.  Slow and graceful, laden with incredible power and also a delicacy of refinement. Mühr’s sound could be seen as a reflection of another Dutch band, 35007, albeit through a doom tinted glass.  Indeed the psychedelic mix with doom/desert sound is something that those guys helped pioneer, Mühr takes this legacy to new places.

The guitar sound is immense in places, but is never overbearing.  Even the solo’s have a very slight touch to them, using tone and noise to make a sparse swells that don’t detract attention from the overall sound.
The drumming is quite laid back, using a slow rhythm that is typical of bands in the doom genre.  Using the cymbals as light touches which move the song forward, the bass-drum, tom and snare become part of a crashing noise of guitar and bass.
The vocals really stand out for their clarity. In a genre almost overrun by growlers and deep impenetrable primordial groans, the glistening immaculate vocals are a rare treat, sitting somewhere in the central background, with waves of bass and guitar around them.  Like glimpsing the light of dawn through ancient oak trees on a foggy morning, or dappled through the stream of a waterfall.  Mühr’s music is expansive, world-forming.

Heading back to the studio to record some new material quite soon, I expect great things from these guys.  In the meantime check their myspace or buy their 12″ here.

PS (where’s my umlaut when you need it?)