Mylingen's Tour de Force: Under En Svart Himmel
Cover Art: Viktor Jonas
The dark, cinematically sweet Under En Svart Himmel from Mylingen, is due for release June 21. The debut full-length album showcases the art of progressive extreme metal from Sweden. This follows the last EP released back in January, At Night I See Demons.
Mylingen was founded by multi-instrumentalist Viktor Jonas in 2022 from the ashes of his previous band Apathy Noir, which he disbanded after 16 years. The name comes from “myling”, which in Scandinavian folklore, were the phantasmal incarnations of the souls of unwanted children; killed by their mothers and forced to roam the earth until they could persuade someone to bury them properly (as defined via metal archive sources).
Elevar caught up with Viktor to talk about the new music:
I'd love to know what inspired this mystic-heavy brainchild of an EP. It's good psychoterric storytelling.
Well, I wanted to write an album that would convey feelings and thoughts about a number of themes, like the process of ageing and dying but I also wanted to include some stories from Swedish folklore, the track I Vattnets Mörka Djup for example is about a being called Näcken which has a fascinating and dark story.
I'm really glad you kept all the titles and lyrics in Swedish. The atmosphere of an album can get sometimes get lost when artists move away from their native tongue. What made you decide to keep this close to home?
Thank you! One of the reasons was, as you said, to keep the atmosphere. I think writing and singing in your own native tongue gives a deeper meaning and authenticity to the material. And of course it is also a way to stand out a bit from the constant new music that is being released all the time.
Do you believe there's a “romantic melancholia” to Swedish and other Nordic metal that people just seem to love gravitating to? Why do you think that is?
I think that might be the case. Particularly Nordic Metal; it traditionally has very strong melodies that tend to lean toward the melancholic and for me, and perhaps many other people, that sound conveys a sense of comfort in a way.
You've got a new vocalist on this one- how did you find Eric Holmberg?
Yeah, I put out an ad on Facebook in a group for Metal musicians and he was one of several vocalists who I was in talks with. Eric and I clicked immediately and it has been very easy working with him and I'm looking forward to future collaborations!
A big thank you to Viktor for being part of Elevar this month. New vocalist Eric Holmberg is currently the frontman for Shiverpush. All music on the new album written and performed by Viktor Jonas. Lyrics written by Viktor Jonas (tracks 1, 3 & 5) and Eric Holmberg (tracks 2, 4 & 6).
Under En Svart Himmel is available on Digipak, streaming, and digital download.
