Null Dimensions - Morpholith

EP Review: Null Dimensions by Morpholith (Ozium Records)

Brendan Fisher 4 min read

The Icelandic sludge laden, psychedelic, doom metal band, Morpholith, will release their new 2 track EP, Null Dimensions on the 5th of December this year.

Null Dimensions will be released on the 5th of December via Ozium Records with a limited edition cassette due for release via Sludgelord.

Morpholith are a 5 piece psychedelic, sludge and doom metal band who made waves with their debut release, Void Emissions. It was widely praised for it’s unique style and bulldozing riffs firmly putting Morpholith in the “one to watch” category and gaining a strong following of fans. This saw them out on the road performing at numerous shows and festivals locally including a well deserved spot at Wacken Open Air in 2019.

They follow that exciting start up now with their sophomore release, Null Dimensions. A two track but that is deceptive in regards to length as the total run time of the two tracks is around 33 minutes.  Null Dimensions looks at the cosmic process for the formation of black holes. A topic well suited to their expansive sound.

Null Dimensions was recorded by Einar Vilberg and Chris Van der Valk at Hljóðverk and Stúdíó Hljómur. It was mixed by Chris Van der Valk, mastered by Chris Fielding at Skyhammer Studio with artwork by Ryan T Hancock and the album layout by Skaðvaldur.

Null Dimensions - Morpholith
Photo by: Valhallartworks

 

So we get under way on this expansive sonic journey with the first track, Orb. Orb is over 20 minutes in length which itself is quite staggering. It takes care, building cautiously with background fuzz and distortion taking careful steps towards your ears. A shroud of atmosphere starts to form, gently falling down around you until you are fully consumed within it. The slow rhythmic drums join as we continue building, continue moving forward. A little melody, a slight increase in drum power – Orb is so delicately formed that every moment has you sitting forwards on the edge of your seat expectantly. Deep, gravelly vocals join in, gently blending with the music to become another layer within the overall soundscape.

I really like the vocals here – they are slow and deliberate but carry plenty of power and passion. The fullness of the guitars raises as the vocals jump in pitch a little too. There is a nice slow headbanging rhythm to everything now, and there are 10 minutes left to go. The repeated riff continues to hit hard for the remainder of the song while the vocals and melody grow in intensity before it all fades out to the echoing sounds of distortion.

Track 2 is called Monocarp and continues straight on from Orb starting with the same ending feedback. It is a much shorter track but that is all relative as it is still over 13 minutes in length. The crunch on the guitars is pretty serious here while the cymbal heavy drums crash around you. Again, I love the vocals here when they join in. A deep, earthy roar immediately followed by a cleaner line. It works wonders.  There is a little more energy to this one overall which I personally enjoy more and the growls and roars are powerful, making you shudder a little.

As well as being a great song, there are some insanely brilliant moments in it and none better than half way through when we hit a tapping drum sound backed by deep, bassy riffs. Suddenly out of the darkness, comes a still deep but really full power riff that is just perfect. This then leads back into a heavy section with crashing drums and pained vocal screams. It’s great metal. Dark, heavy and imposing both in sound and in feeling.

Null Dimensions is two tracks but a singular musical journey and it is a complex one. If you have a friend just trying to get in to metal, this probably isn’t for them yet. A 30 minute long dark and deep adventure into all things progressive, doom and psychedelic isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea and that’s fine. To be fair, it isn’t always mine but I found Null Dimensions to be quite hypnotic. Even at the length, I was captivated throughout and my attention never wavered.

I felt every note,  every word and every drum beat reverb through my body and occasionally felt uncomfortably smothered within the darkness emanating from my speakers. It really is powerful and captivating music and Morpholith have something magical about them. Whether you love this style of music or don’t you won’t be able to deny it’s brilliance and ability to pull you in. These guys are definitely one to watch and follow closely and you really should do yourself a favour and grab a preorder of Null Dimensions from the link below.

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You can preorder a copy of Null Dimensions at the Ozium Records webpage, internationally or via Morpholith’s Bandcamp page for the Icelandic market. Otherwise look out for it on the 5th of December will it will be available on all the usual streaming platforms.

 

Morpholith Links

Bandcamp – Facebook – Spotify – Instagram – YouTube – Ozium Website – Ozium Bandcamp – Sludgelord 




Author

  • Owner/Editor/Writer/YouTuber - Heavy Metal and reading, two things I have always loved so they are the two areas you will find most of my reviews. Post apocalyptic is my jam and I always have a book on the go and have for decades now. From a metal perspective, age has softened my inadequacies and I now operate with an open mind, loving many bands from many sub genres but having a particular admiration for the UK underground scene. In my other time, when not focused on Dad duties and work, I try to support the craft beer movement by drinking as much of it as I can and you will also find me out on the streets, walking. I love walking, I love exploring new places and snapping nature photos as I go.