Release Date May 5th, 2026
Format CD/LP/Digital
Genre Black Metal
Origin France
Born in the misty, rain-lashed trenches of Finistère back in 2014, Möhrkvlth has spent over a decade sharpening their blades in the French underground. After dropping a demo and a split, they finally coughed up their debut full-length, "A-dreñv Ar Vrumenn," in 2018. Since then, the lineup has been mostly gutted and rebuilt around founding member Grégory Person. This new incarnation of the band has spent years stewing in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to unleash their next chapter of Breton heritage through a blackened lens.
Forget about that over-polished garbage coming out of the mainstream; "Gwenojennoù An Ankounac’h" is a cold, grim slap in the face that sounds like it was recorded in a damp cellar during a winter storm. Möhrkvlth isn't playing games here, delivering a relentless wave of aggressive riffs that transition into these massive, pagan-soaked peaks. It is black metal that actually has some soul behind the screeching, tapping into the rural isolation and the forgotten history of Brittany without sounding like a cheap gimmick.
The guitars on this record are absolute filth, weaving together a freezing Scandinavian influence with that distinctively bleak French pagan style. When those mournful choirs show up, they don't soften the blow; they just make the whole experience feel more haunted and oppressive. The drumming is a total battery that keeps the pace blistering, ensuring the atmosphere never gets too comfortable or sleepy. It is a grim, melancholic journey through war and old horrors that demands your attention and refuses to play nice.
There is a serious level of bitterness and tradition dripping off these tracks, especially when they dive into the poetry of Añjela Duval. It is rare to hear a band handle such depressing, sacred themes with this much intensity. The vocals sound like someone being dragged through a briar patch, which is exactly what you want when the lyrics are obsessing over the forsaken lives of the countryside and the biting chill of the cold season. This is the sound of a band that has embraced the darkness of their roots and distilled it into something fierce.
If you want something pretty or easy to digest, go somewhere else. Möhrkvlth has delivered a high-tier slab of black metal that sounds authentic and pissed off. It captures the essence of the Breton spirit and drags it kicking and screaming into the modern era. "Gwenojennoù An Ankounac’h" is a mandatory listen for anyone who still believes black metal should be about atmosphere, heritage, and a complete lack of compromise. This is top-shelf stuff that proves the French scene is still the king of the shadows.
Score: 8.5
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