Album Review: Lamp of Murmuur - The Dreaming Prince in Ecstasy
Reviewed by Sam Jones
Given the short timespan Lamp Of Murmuur has been active for they’ve risen to astonishing heights rapidly and are preparing to release their fourth full length work. Formed in 2019 out of Washington, United States, Lamp Of Murmuur is a one-man band fronted by he solely known as M. A look through their catalogue belies their love for the more insidious, near-cosmic vision of black metal where early Demo and EP releases are imbued with this celestial ritual aesthetic, coming to a head with their debut album in 2020’s Heir Of Ecliptical Romanticism. Just a year later we got Submission And Slavery but Lamp Of Murmuur’s renown shot to new heights with their 2023 opus, Saturnian Bloodstorm, praised widely by fans and critics alike. This too was the record that alerted myself to the band and though I missed seeing them perform at Incineration earlier this year, the band had now landed upon my radar. Now slated for release come November 14th, Lamp Of Murmuur prepare us for The Dreaming Prince In Ecstasy with perhaps their most striking artwork yet, signed now unto Wolves Of Hades. Surely eyed as one of the year’s last major releases, scores shall be looking upon this record with anticipation regarding well the evil splendour their last album delivered. This is The Dreaming Prince In Ecstasy.
Atmospherically the record certainly feels to be a fusion of cosmic horror and ritualistic death, that opening instrumental does the job featuring a swirling, boundless aesthetic all the while discordant piano keys play against it. This approach bleeds into the main performance too for while Lamp Of Murmuur hurl these intricately written riffs and stifled vocals at you, there’s the additional symphonic edge thrown in for good measure. Anyone seeking to try the band first time round and thinking they’re just another black metal band shall be mightily surprised, for their songwriting has so much more occurring than I anticipated. During the most basic riff sequences bridging one section to the next, there’s some symphonic element aside it and its right in your face so there’s no confusing it for an afterthought; its clearly an integral part to what comprises this record. But more than anything one can listen to this album and understand Lamp Of Murmuur did not come to mess around; their performance is bristling with passion and focus as one gets the impression nothing else outside this soundscape matters whilst The Dreaming Prince In Ecstasy is playing.
I think the most grounding element here, a record filled with grandiosity and lofty concepts, are the drums. They may be placed further back in the mix than some black metal acts would choose but there’s no denying the impact they infer; herein they double the purpose of the bass which is to surround the record, providing a cushioning for the band’s most vicious strikes. This feels all the more necessary given Lamp Of Murmuur’s particularly brazen, scythe-like riffs that feel to turn on a whim to whichever direction has yet to be skewered. The bass drums fill the space behind the album, not only keeping the soundscape populated by energy but broadening the scope of the record. I appreciate that the drums aren’t vying to pummel your skull, since their presence here allows you to ride the momentum the way a surfer wishes to ride a vast wave before it crashes down upon him. With drums like these the band imbue their sound with injections of energy natural to the songwriting without feeling overly emphasised, acting as a springboard which the string and woodwind sections may work off.
It's impressive Lamp Of Murmuur write music where tracks, sometimes approaching ten minutes long, can be hurled at you and keep you thoroughly engaged start to finish without waning. It needs mentioning the band’s songwriting doesn’t consist of some unrelenting devastation for time uninterrupted, if anything the guitar work possesses a low density where one could imagine a riff floating with ease on the wind; the lighter tone however has applied the band with a demonic, freezing quality a diehard black metal fan could recognise in any classic record of the genre. The band’s capacity to continuously give you reasons to listen is founded in how tracks constantly evolve, even during their shorter pieces, to maintain curiosity in a band where, after believing you’ve sussed them out, they still have vistas to take you up. There are places throughout this record I really wasn’t expecting to be taken to, and its the ease Lamp Of Murmuur harness that makes this a constantly interesting listen. They have no issue in shaking things up, its why a ten minute track can be received with delight knowing you’re about to taken on one wild journey.
But Lamp Of Murmuur’s subtle quality may just be their ability to create stories through songwriting. When one experiences this record they’ll feel fantastic, they’ll feel like what they’re listening to feels right; that reason falls to the composition as each track feels technically refined, where each section in the moment isn’t merely entertaining but serves a greater whole. When one considers the title track is split into a trilogy across the record, one after the other, its necessary to remember this album hasn’t been approached to merely throw music at an audience and see what sticks. There's honest love and dedication put into ensuring the previous track’s structure, its aesthetic, its role within the storytelling of this album, doesn’t go unnoticed or thrown to the wayside. Stepping back, The Dreaming Prince In Ecstasy is effectively a concept album, something you rarely see in black metal which I personally am so here for. There's so much more one can unpack across this album than you could find in the next dozen releases by more contemporary artists; symphonic pieces, New Romantic-influences, abstract existentialism etc. But we mustn’t presume we need to pay especial attention to get the most out of this release, knowing the vocals aren’t going to give leeway to discerning what’s actually said. The vocal delivery is atmospheric but there’s nought preventing you following the vocals as they lead the charge through the record, rising, churning, spouting a performance torn off the teeth.
In conclusion, if Saturnian Bloodstorm whetted people’s appetites and gave them an inkling to what Lamp Of Murmuur could deliver, The Dreaming Prince In Ecstasy truly is the release that will blow the doors to pieces. Lamp Of Murmuur have enjoyed success as of late yet i can’t help but feel this record is the one that will shoot them to the stratosphere. There is so much to discover within and appreciate, with songs lengthy and exciting and yet still feel so short. It manages to evoke this episcopal grandeur as one looks above to discern the questions of within. Ending the record with a beautiful acoustic piece as string sections back it up and the cleanest, most theatrical vocals colour the track, Lamp Of Murmuur prove there is so much more to them than one would initially presume. When people remark black metal as beautiful this record shall come to mind. Lamp Of Murmuur are a name you’ll find upon scores of tongues soon enough, manifesting cosmic black metal understanding the necessity for rooted performances to keep us coming back. With massive soundscapes and themes presented in digestible fashion Lamp Of Murmuur are certainly a band to watch; if Saturnian Bloodstorm remains to individuals a supposition regarding the band’s prowess, The Dreaming Prince In Ecstasy proves their towering capability for prestigious black metal in 2025.
