Review by Daniel for Mgła - Exercises in Futility (2015)

Poland boasts a very strong pedigree in black metal which dates back to the height of the second wave explosion in the mid-1990’s with the likes of Christ Agony, Graveland, Behemoth, Arkona, Sacrilegium & Lux Occulta all ensuring that Polish metalheads would have a local hero to support while they worshipped at the altar of the Norwegians. However, I think it’s fair to say though that the Poles would not manage to elevate themselves to anything greater than a support act during that period & would have to wait until the mid-2000’s to compete at the elite level of extreme metal’s darkest subgenre. That gap would eventually be filled by the earliest works of a mysterious duo from Krakow known as Mgła & they would provide Poland’s extreme metal fanbase with its first black metal superstar; a title they’ve retained relatively comfortably ever since. 

The Mgła story (pronounced “m-gwa” which is Polish for “fog”) would begin in 2000 when 19 year-old multi-instrumentalist Mikołaj “M” Żentara (the son of a well-known Polish actor) & drummer Dariusz "Daren" Piper decided to collaborate on a purely studio-oriented black metal project. Mikołaj’s previous experience amounted to just a couple of minor solo projects under the Arca Funebris & Leichenhalle monikers; efforts that only resulted in crude demo recordings with both following more of an industrial-tinged ambient direction than a metal one.  Daren, on the other hand, had a fair bit more experience under his belt following stints with unheralded underground black metal acts like Blade Of The Sword, Holy Death & Aragon throughout the 1990’s. The pair would record two crude demo tapes during the 2000/01 period (both of which remain unreleased to this day) before deciding to collaborate with Daren’s Holy Death band mate Necronosferatus on a new black metal project going by the name of Kriegsmaschine which would see Mgła’s productivity stifled for the next couple of years. M would continue to juggle Mgła & Kriegsmachine right up to the current day but Mgła’s first noteworthy achievement would come through their involvement in Finnish black metal label Northern Heritage Records’ 2005 “Crushing The Holy Trinity” split album (which also included France’s Deathspell Omega & Finland’s Stabat Mater, Musta Surma, Clandestine Blaze & Exordium) with Mgła’s involvement with the label having been consistent ever since. 

2006 would be another major year for Mgła as it would see the release of two well received EPs, the second one “Mdłości” becoming Poland’s first genuinely classic black metal record. Mgła’s music careers were now well & truly on the up & up but a change was afoot with Daren opting to leave both Mgła & Kriegmaschine in quick succession. It’s unclear as to what the reason for his departure was but one would assume that he & M must have had a major falling out for him to take such a drastic action. Regardless though, it would not see Mgła’s newly found bubble bursting with talented skinsman Maciej Kowalski (also known as “Darkside”) being quickly drafted into both bands & the rest is history really. M & Darkside would proceed to put out high quality black metal under both monikers at sporadic intervals ever since but it would be Mgła’s celebrated 2012 album “With Hearts Towards None” that would take the band to the international stage & would signal the arrival of Mgła as a live performer. It would also be my initiation to the band & to be completely honest, I have to admit that I found it a little underwhelming at the time. It was certainly an enjoyable listen but it didn’t seem to offer much that the great second wave releases of the 1990’s hadn’t already mastered & it hasn’t been a release that I’ve returned to often over the eight years since.  

But this brings us to 2015’s “Exercises In Futility” record which would see Mgła reaching even greater commercial heights & would overtake “With Hearts Towards None” as the elite example of Polish black metal. As with Mgła’s first two full-lengths, it would again be released through Northern Heritage Records; the label having now built a very solid reputation through 16 years of high quality black metal releases from the likes of Clandestine Blaze, Deathspell Omega, Satanic Warmaster, Ildjarn-Nidhogg, Baptism, Inferi, Ride For Revenge, Peste Noire & Stabat Mater. M’s growing experience behind the mixing desk saw him handling the mixing & production duties once again & the result would be a fully developed, stunningly professional & crystal clear realization of his art that may be at least partially responsible for the significant backlash that Mgła have experienced from certain parts of the black metal audience who are still craving ever more lo-fi production qualities. These parties have very little basis for their qualms in my opinion as the quality of sound we receive with “Exercises In Futility” is beyond criticism in my opinion. No, it’s not in any way lo-fi but that hasn’t seen any trade-offs being made in regard to atmosphere. It’s quite simply the perfect platform for Mgła’s sweeping & melodic brand of black metal as it highlights the real strengths in the band’s sound. M’s gorgeous riffs sound thick, pure & precise which helps them to gain maximum value from the often repetitive & trance-like arrangements. It’s interesting that the bass lines are not all that easy to pick out which isn’t terribly important when your rhythm guitar tone has enough natural bass to give the music its imposing menace. Darkside’s cymbals have been afforded an uncommon brightness & vibrancy in order to showcase his impressive skill sets with the rest of his kit having been mixed a little lower in classic black metal fashion. This was presumably intentional & makes a lot of sense in the grand scheme of things. There is no reliance on artificial bells & whistles to maintain engagement here with the occasional use of keyboards being employed very subtly & with impeccable timing to enhance the atmospheric peaks. This is definitely not your most abrasive & inaccessible black metal release & it unashamedly thumbs its nose at its competition in that it achieves oodles of atmosphere without ever resorting to gimmicks or self-sabotage as a tool.  

The cover artwork for “Exercises In Futility” has been borrowed from deceased French engraver Marcel Roux with this particular piece from 1908 being known as “L'aveugle” (translation: “The Blind”). It’s a disturbing image & is a fine accompaniment for the overarching lyrical concept which is completely focused on the pointlessness of life, the realization that it doesn’t really matter what you do, think or feel, the ultimate futility of our existence on this earth. It’s an incredibly depressing ideology but not one that’s terribly uncommon for black metal. It’s just that Mgła’s lyrical & musical artistry is so beautifully developed & executed that its themes become a more major part of the experience & by the end of your second listen you’ll likely find yourself genuinely questioning whether things really ARE as futile as they’re suggested to be. 

Similarly, the music Mgła are pushing here is nothing new for the genre. This is an unashamedly black metal release with the band seemingly celebrating the genre’s second wave glory days with a confidence & maturity that’s rarely seen in this game. Mgła really REALLY know their sound & fans of the band’s previous material will not see any major surprising surfacing here although almost every element has been more finely honed & refined with every nuance having a defined purpose. There’s not a lot of variation across the tracklisting but there doesn’t need to be when your execution is this precise & you keep your run time to such a palatable duration. The basis for Mgła’s sound sits predominantly with classic raw Scandinavian black metal however you never lose the feeling that they should be in some way associated with the more melodic approach of Dissection because their reliance on melody is such an important component of their sound. But in saying that, Mgła never take things too far in that regard by losing the overarching menace of the rawer style of black metal so I’d never actually label them as a melodic black metal band despite the shared tools. Perhaps the clean production is responsible for further pushing the claims of that more melodic subgenre? Quite possibly & the lack of reliance on blast beats is probably another factor given the endless fascination that most modern black metal bands seem to have with them. Darkside’s semi-regular use of more open, restrained & rocky beats is certainly something you’d usually associate more with your meloblack crowd too & it’s the obvious weak point of the album for me personally.  

Being the huge old-school Burzum fan that I am, I was very pleased to hear the regular influence of Varg’s more atmospheric brand of black metal on Mgła’s music here too. There are plenty of moments where I can clearly identify particular Burzum tracks as the source of inspiration however I wouldn’t say that Mgła ever really flirt with the atmospheric black metal subgenre for too long. It’s just that the riffs often have a similarly trance-inducing quality to them. “Exercises in Futility V” is probably the best example of this with its opening section owing much to the opening track “Dunkelheit” from Burzum's classic 1996 album “Filosofem”. Most tracks also contain sweeping melodic riffs that often remind me a fair bit of English black metallers Winterfylleth. There’s a majestic beauty to their construction & execution that defies the negative connotations of the lyrical themes & enhances the timelessness of the music which is a strong indicator of the significance of the release. I’d almost go so far as to use the word soothing for some of the more blasting riffs which just goes to show how Mgła manage to maintain the listeners interest through the use of subtle changes in atmosphere regardless of the fact that they generally stick to their musical guns throughout. 

The musicianship on display from the two contributors is nothing short of astounding for a black metal act. The duo very clearly click as musicians with the clinical nature of the performances making it all sound so easy. I don’t think there’s any doubt that they stay well within themselves most of the time though. You get the very distinct feeling that they both have at least another couple of gears up their sleeve & leave a fair bit in the tank by the end of the album. Perhaps this is one of the things that makes “Exercises In Futility” so damn appealing to such a wide audience. They don’t over-complicate things & Darkside knows when to leave space which accentuates the transitions back into the more intense & blasting sections really well. You can easily see how Mgła would offer a greater appeal to the female audience than other black metal artists might & that’s not in any way a criticism. They’ve somehow managed to achieve a suitable level of intimidation without ever completely sacrificing on accessibility. 

M’s execution of the riffs is so tight that he almost sounds mechanical at times but this is an indication of just how on top of his sound he is. You get the feeling that he has complete creative control over Mgła’s sound & deservedly so too. I’m a big fan of everything he does here. He’s clearly well versed in all of the greats of the various black metal subgenres & has only borrowed from the absolute elite which makes “Exercises In Futility” somewhat of a celebration of the genre. There’s really only the one flirtation with a clean guitar sound included with the intro to “Exercises in Futility VI” sounding very much like Anathema. M’s gravel-throated vocals remind me quite a bit of Satyr from Satyricon & are extremely effective. The fact that you can easily make out the depressive poetry of his lyrics provides further enhancement for the thematic content & gives the album’s artistic claims a further boost while his tone is evil enough to spread fear & dread throughout many a kindgom. Darkside’s drumming is even more impressive though. Especially his cymbal work which showcases both his incredible skill & a ridiculous level of attention to detail. His continued use of cymbal rolls is very unusual & I find it to be a real joy to listen to. At times it almost sounds too pretty & intricate for this style of black metal but there’s little doubt that he’s amongst the best drummers in the genre. I genuinely feel that the album wouldn’t have offered the same sort of appeal with another drummer as the simplicity of the riff structures may not have been as well received if not for the ambition & extravagance that Darkside offers us here. 

It’s really pretty hard to understand the backlash that Mgła have experienced over the years. It seems very much like tall poppy syndrome to me as this is a classy flexing of the creative muscles of a band that was clearly at the peak of their powers. Sure it’s a little more melodic than I’m usually able to cope with at times, there are a few rocky beats that I’m at odds with & it essentially takes a similar direction to hundreds of black metal releases you’ve likely heard before but few artists have been as successful in their execution or offered as balanced a result. “Exercises In Futility” is a celebration of black metal as an art form & a bold statement of intent &, as such, it represents not only the pinnacle of Mgła’s career but also of Polish black metal as a whole. 

For fans of: Uada, Kriegsmaschine & Plaga