On Friday 30th January 2026, Danish blackgaze band MØL released their third full length studio album Dreamcrush via Nuclear Blast Records. This new album is about exploring the very fine lines between ambition and disillusionment, basically how our dreams can be both our best friends and our worst enemies. If, like me, you’re completely new to the band, don’t worry, because here’s what you need to know: MØL are a blackgaze metal band from Aarhus, Denmark, who formed in 2013. They are: Kim Song Sternkopt (Vocals), Nicolai Hansen (Guitar), Sigurd Kehlet (Guitar), Holger Rumph-Frost (Bass) and Ken Klejs (Drums).
MØL’s mission statement for Dreamcrush looks to be to go old school, and that’s exactly what they’ve managed to do. The album opening was so mystical, it was like listening in to one of our own nostalgic dreams; it made us feel like we were back in the 90’s, surrounded by all the whimsical and eclectic home decor that we remember so fondly. If we could place this album into a season, it would be that melancholy space between the end of summer and the start of autumn; the reflective and bittersweet vibes of that time of year coming across so clear in this album. Kim Sternkopt’s vocals are some of the cleanest yet striking that I have heard in blackgaze, communicating the theme of the album so smoothly.
Something I really appreciate in Dreamcrush is that the bulk of the album is sung in the band’s Danish mother tongue. For such a long time it’s been so widely thought that, to make it in the music business, artists need to sing in English. In my opinion, it’s brilliant to see those perceptions being challenged by international artists breaking through, opening us up not only to new languages, but to new cultures too. With Dreamcrush I find that I don’t actually need to understand the lyrics, such is the strength of atmosphere and feeling throughout the album. Despite the Danish language, I note clear American influences in both the instrumentals and the vocals, contributing to that familiar nostalgia we described earlier.
A real stand out feature of this album for me is that not once did any track sound the same as another, MØL instead making every track tell it’s own little story. It’s clearly intended to be an album though, rather than a simple collection of stories, with the instrumentals all well thought out and flowing organically.
From the stories that make up the Dreamcrush album, I have two tracks that really stand out to me as highlights, which are; ‘Hud’ and ‘Favour’. The whole reason I have chosen ‘Hud’ is the contrast it offers to much of the remainder of the album, with the intro being softer; in my opinion, there’s an Imagine Dragons feel to it, where I’m reminded especially of the song ‘Believer’. Even with the rough and raw growls, the track as a whole feels calming, coming across as a black metal ballad of sorts – it’s just so unique compared to the rest of the album, with a little spark to make it stand out. I’ve chosen ‘Favour’ as my other highlight, simply because of childhood nostalgia it brings me. The intro to this track immediately reminds me of Metallica’s ‘Nothing Else Matters’; a classic metal masterpiece. So much of my childhood was spent listening to Metallica, which is why I feel so drawn to ‘Favour’. I’m finding myself taken right back to happy memories of sitting on the floor next to my big brother, just rocking out to Metallica classics; an instant buzz showing the power of Dreamcrush to take us into both the past and future via our dreams.
All in all, I really enjoyed how the band have blended the vintage feel of shoegaze with the twilight stages of 90’s pop. Somehow it just works amazingly well; surprising really, as if you were to tell me that a contemporary metal band had just released an album blending black metal and pop, I’d 100% turn my nose up at the idea! I have to hand it to MØL though; the album really tells a story, which is equal parts smooth and intriguing. I can’t wait to see what sounds they turn their creativity to next.