MØL return after five years with their best album to date, a fusion of black metal, shoegaze, and alt-rock on DREAMCRUSHER.
Release date: January 30, 2026 | Nuclear Blast Records | Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp
We’ve come a long way from the birth of blackgaze. Over two decades this fusion genre has grown in popularity from originators like Alcest to crossover acts like Deafheaven, yet somehow I have yet to feel oversaturated by the style. Granted, not every album is a banger, but for all of its sense of being a trend, blackgaze has managed to stay just under the surface of being overexposed, too heavy for many indie kids and too soft for the trve cvlt crowd. Thankfully, this means that when quality blackgaze albums surface, listeners have less to wade through and the new album can shine like the often glimmering guitar effects deserve. One of these albums, though somewhat underappreciated, was 2021’s Diorama from the Danish band MØL. I really loved Diorama and thought of them as the band that could match Deafheaven‘s popularity, especially given that Deafheaven released the divisive Infinite Granite that same year. Now, 5 years later, MØL has returned with their third LP, DREAMCRUSHER.
DREAMCRUSHER takes the beautiful guitar work of Diorama and their debut LP, Jord, and similarly to Deafheaven‘s last album, Lonely People With Power, infuses touches of indie rock and post-punk into their overall sound. This was immediately apparent on the lead single for DREAMCRUSHER, “Garland”, opening with cleanly sung vocals over upbeat, altgaze instrumentation, which quickly gives way to a soaring riff and the icy harsh vocals of lead vocalist, Kim Song Sternkopf. The chugging bridge of the song signals that MØL are far from abandoning their more metallic leanings, and their sound is all the more refined in the final third of the song. Opener, “DREAM” also reflects this, being one of the several times on this album that there are echoes of early U2 on the album. Early U2, mind you, not the arena-filling sound of their more popular work, and this is an important distinction. “DREAM”, however goes way harder than anything The Edge could ever muster, and even, at times, echoes fellow Danish rockers, Mew‘s earlier work, as well.
The metallic moments on DREAMCRUSH are some of the most exhilarating I have heard since Agriculture‘s The Spiritual Sound. The conclusion to “små forlis”, for example, combines all of the post-rock heroism that blackgaze is known for with a stop-start riff that elevates and drives the conclusion. “Hud” also has a ripping ending, more traditionally metal with its soaring guitar leads, but it is another deeply satisfying moment on an album of many. The post-punk side of MØL, like the more dreamy shoegaze moments, often lingers in the intros, outros, and verses. The opening of “Favour” for instance, features strings in a move that feels like a more muscular This Mortal Coil, which ends up contrasting nicely with the harsh vocals and impressive finger-picked solo. Immediately following that is “A Former Blueprint” that betrays its lovely indie introduction with deeper death metal vocals that intrude like a side quest character that ends up shaping a bigger part of the story than you thought, as this song is one of my favorite songs in MØL‘s catalogue.
The final act of the album begins with a lovely interlude track before “Dissonance” introduces acoustic guitars and vocals that wash over a marching beat. These moments of respite would carry more impact on a heavier record, but here, they add to the sonic world-building MØL have excelled at on DREAMCRUSHER. Sure, there is a post-hardcore passage later on the track along with more excellent guitar leads, but seeing how these more abrasive moments fit into the softer ones and vice versa makes repeat listening a journey of discovery. “Mimic”, conversely, starts at full throttle and doesn’t really let up until about halfway through, yet is perhaps the most catchy and addictive track on the album, as MØL deliver the kind of dynamics that have made so many hardcore and post-hardcore albums stand the test of time, as if At The Drive-In went black metal after Relationship of Command. The world-building and genre-play coalesce on “CRUSH” in a stellar conclusion to the album that toys with alt-rock in addition to all of the pretty and ugly sounds the band has displayed, so far.
DREAMCRUSHER truly doubles down on my arguments upon hearing Diorama 5 years ago; MØL deserve to be listed amongst the highest order of blackgaze acts. This album is emotionally driven, full of immensely satisfying guitar work and a tight, driving rhythm section, and most of all is fun as hell. It takes a lot for me to notice heavy music these days, but MØL remain a band I am happy to follow and champion, and have given us an album that surpassed my expectations and will cast a shadow over many of the heavy metal albums to come in 2026.
