| Human Vindice (Demo) | 2001 | None |
MÜL is a one man project by Knut Farstad, a doom metal devotee from Bergen, Norway. On this particular demo he had some bass and synth help from Vidar Engeseth on the two bonus tracks.
The sound of MÜL is clearly influenced by Winter style doom/death riffing. These riffs have had several layers of fuzz added to them and create a buzzing vibe which is far more common in drone/doom bands. It also creates a thick wall of sound which 5ive's Continuum Research Project has made themselves known for. Hence I guess that the demo can be counted as a mixture of the two doom genres. In either case this is loud, heavy and noisy doom metal in a niche of its own.
Some of the tracks are not always doom metal though. The last three tracks are either completely darkwave/neoclassical or at least have long sections of it. This includes the sound of a piano and a slightly haunting synth.
Despite being a mostly instrumental project, there are some occasional growled vocals which follow the slow pace of the music. Because of this, the lyrics don't make much difference to the demo. Instead the vocals act as an instrument in itself.
As mentioned earlier, it's probably really hard to get hold of this demo nowadays. Still, if you can get hold of it in any way and you like noisy drone or raw doom/death, then you should really give this a try. But let it be known that these dirges can hardly be called mainstream music.
1. Separate Propositions
2. Thought Cube
3. Grint Slime
4. Under Mud
5. The Central Meaning
6. Planet Of Deceit
7. Dump (Bonus Track)
8. The Needles (Bonus Track 2)
Approx. 70 minutes
| Monodrama (MCD) | 2002 | None |
I hesitate to call the music chaotic, but it's very varied and not exactly "linear" (if that is the right word to use). This means that the music can be hard to grasp for some, and instead just sound like noise made by guitars. However, for those of us who have the patience to let the music sink into the mind, you will be rewarded with a peaceful yet sad atmosphere.
The music is lighter than on Human Vindice. More precisely, while it is still a drone/doom project based on doom/death riffing, it now has similarities to the Peaceville Three (Anathema, My Dying Bride and Paradise Lost). A final difference is the fact that while 'Human Vindice' did have some occasional vocals on it, 'Monodrama' is a purely instrumental release.
While there is nothing wrong with the music on this release, my conclusion is that I agree with Knut on the music not living up to the standard of his other releases. However, some of the riffs are quite nice so it might be worth a listen anyway.
1. Inimical Fuse
2. A Sketched Ignorance
3. The Repetition Of Prayer
There is no cover art for 'Monodrama' since it was never properly released.
Approx. 19 minutes
| Legia I Rebirth (Demo) | 2003 | None |
This is a rather chaotic album with many different influences. Unlike the early releases there isn't much drone, but instead there are funeral doom, darkwave, orchestral and progressive metal elements. A lot of progressive metal elements actually. To my great surprise there is also a section of calypso music. In other words, those who don't like a fair bit of experimenting probably shouldn't listen to this demo.
Despite the chaos, this is still a pretty slow and depressive doom/death release with tracks ranging from 10 to 20 minutes. But there is one exception. The track 'Lights On' lasts only 4 minutes and is a slightly balladic track done on acoustic guitar. It's far more positive than the rest of the music. It even has the sound of birds and children playing in it. If it didn't seem like it has an important part in the storyline, I'd have concluded that it should never have been put on a doom metal release.
This particular demo reminds me of a lot of different bands. The vocals, for example, remind me of the first Funeral release, 'Tristesse'. The rest of the music seems to have influences ranging from Anathema to Paul Chain's experimental works, to a slower Yngwie Malmsteen. An interesting release for a select taste.
1. Born
2. Lights On
3. Grow
4. Submerged
5. Lights Off
Approx. 60 minutes
| Monomentum (Demo) | 2003 | None |
One of the most remarkable things about this release is that the drone elements have largely vanished. Instead the music has had a dose of expermentation added to it. I swear I can even hear a female voice singing in the background sometimes. I'm sure I hear a piano too. But both elements are so far into the background that you're not able to hear or enjoy them unless you listen carefully. But the strangest bit of all has to be the mad electronic bit in the middle of track 2. It scared me the first time I heard the track because I was nowhere near being prepared for that.
The music remains depressed and anguished throughout most of the demo. It relaxes a bit on a few occasions, but otherwise it's a pretty intense release. Despite its slow pace, it doesn't stop being interesting after you've spun it twice. In fact you'd probably need a couple of spins just to get the hang of the music. Fans of the heavy, unmelodic sort of doom/death should listen to this.
1. Monomentum
2. Unsilenced
3. Human Vindice
Approx. 42 minutes
| Litany Circus (Demo) | 2004 | None |
MÜL has once again changed its face but without sounding very different. This time Knut Farstad creates a very Esoteric like sound with powerful and heavy chords. The death/doom influence is perhaps stronger than ever, but almost equally strong is the funeral doom element. Despite the heavy sound, the music remains depressive throughout just about every millisecond.
There is one track that stands out and that is 'Cinis' (which is Latin for "ashes"). It is actually an ambient piece played on guitar. It has a distinct progressive aura over it. But even if this does not take your fancy, the track only lasts 2 minutes so it should not matter.
I believe that this demo is much more accessible than the earlier MÜL releases. I think that just about everyone who likes Esoteric and depressive funeral doom would like this as well. Even if you didn't like the earlier works, you should still give this one a chance. It's free for download after all. You can find it here: http://morsknorsk.mine.nu:666/~mul.
1. Litanus
2. Cinis
3. Dreaming Of The Black Tomorrow
4. Tsakel
Approx. 30 minutes