MØL - DREAMCRUSH
Written by: Tom Wilson | Friday 23rd January 2026
It’s a great feeling to come across something truly unique – a musical concept or idea that is completely far out yet somehow works.
Scandinavian oddballs MØL (Danish for “moth”, pronounced “moo-l”) first popped up on my radar in 2021 with their stunning album Diorama, a moody exploration of light and shade partly inspired by Ari Aster’s Hereditary. If you picked a particularly frosty black metal band and sent them on a few summer tours with bands like MILLENCOLIN, they might come home sounding like this. Snarling church-burning vocals are laid over riffs that can verge on post-rock or even pop-punk, and I know that sounds appalling, but somehow it works. Screams soar over bright, sunny-side-up riffage, creating something beautiful, hopeful and optimistic, like MY BLOODY VALENTINE trying their hand at black metal.
DREAMCRUSH first came across my desk in mid-December, and I found myself lamenting how long I’d have to wait before I could tell everyone how great it is. We open with DREAM, and a peaceful, languid soundscape builds over the course of a minute, as slow and enormous as an ocean swell rising, before the first massive rock riff crashes down on us like a freak wave across the bow, and we’re off to the races. Små forlis goes straight for the throat with a savage opening before showing off the amazing contrast of slow guitar riffs over thundering drumming. The first high point comes in the form of track four, Hud, where a gentle plinking guitar twinkles under Kim’s breathy moans, which soon mutate into a rasping snarl at odds with the beautiful sounds around it. Then, the chorus hits, and Kim’s screams explode over a thick, slow guitar as it becomes apparent just how good MØL have got at capitalising on their sonic contrast. With heaps of clean vocals, it’s no surprise why Garland was chosen as the first single. The guitar on the chorus is evocative enough to bring a tear to your eye, and the double kick towards the end would have DETHKLOK drummer Pickles nodding in approval. Favour’s slow build and beautiful guitar is worthy of sticking a lighter in the air, before erupting into a screaming wall of sound. Up next is the second highlight of the record, A Former Blueprint, which sees sunny post-rock verses lull us into a false sense of security before the vibe shifts abruptly, and we hear Kim deliver a malevolent spoken-word rasp over dizzying drumming and a truly dark bassline, before it explodes into a chorus the size of Denmark. It’s stunning. MØL never sound like a band in a hurry, but they pick up the pace with Mimic, a track that will find its way onto a few people’s cardio playlists by the end of this year. The finale CRUSH is suitably grandiose, and as the last guitars fade into silence, I all but guarantee you’ll be itching to start the record over again.
Singing both in English and his native Danish, vocalist Kim Song Sternkopf shows a lot of versatility on this record, able to shift from honey-voiced crooning to snarling animal in a heartbeat. The band are no slouches either, and quality control is high across the board. There is zero fat on this album, and every track is memorable and unique. 2021’s Diorama was a great album. It didn’t need to be bested, but MØL did it anyway. DREAMCRUSH is absolutely stunning. A remarkable piece of work.
DREAMCRUSH is out January 30th on Nuclear Blast Records. Pre-order here.