Stridore – Makt Myrkranna (EP Review)

Stridore, the experimental project of Johny Prunell, has taken a noticeable step forward with Makt Myrkranna, a release that moves away from the raw walls of noise characterising the debut and into a far more conceptual and atmospheric realm. Inspired by the lore of Dracula and the larger vampire mythos, this EP blends elements of dark ambient, glitch, and harsh digital textures, while never losing sight of a distinctly human presence. Created through a live-style performance with only a MIDI controller and no metronome, these pieces embrace imperfection, allowing them to breathe and flow with a strangely organic unpredictability. The result is an unsettling yet engrossing soundscape that feels both carefully sculpted and impulsively alive.

The opening track Lucerna Tenebris immediately establishes a more approachable and human tone compared to the debut album. The deep, foghorn-like drones and suspenseful pacing evoke the feeling of waiting in darkness for something to emerge. When the piano and organ-like surges enter, they feel like sudden jolts of terror, as though one has stumbled into a horror film’s climax. It’s ominous, but not abrasive, and it sets the stage for the EP’s balance between dread and restraint.

Ad Libitum follows with a shift toward medieval textures, its strings carrying the listener into a shadowy masquerade scene where something sinister lurks behind the velvet. The whispered voices threaded throughout the piece heighten unease, fading away as if to dissolve into memory, leaving behind a lingering tension.

Ellen Crone turns toward something more intimate, opening with a retro sci-fi synth that soon gives way to layered atmospherics resembling storm winds. Piano enters with surprising emotional weight, grounding the track in grief and reflection. This juxtaposition between synthetic alien tones and human melancholy captures one of the EP’s most compelling traits: the fusion of digital abstraction with visceral feeling.

With Angels, the EP momentarily ascends into something more radiant, at least on the surface. Choir-like textures and organ resonance give the impression of sacred light, yet the arrangement is infused with dissonance that unsettles the sense of sanctity. It feels like stepping into a cathedral only to find something unholy residing within.

Sanguis Iterum plunges into chaos. It is the harshest track on the EP, brimming with distorted growls, mechanical turbulence, and violent layering. The sheer density of the piece conjures imagery of demons rising from beneath, contrasted only by flickers of helicopter-like sounds that could be interpreted as forces of order struggling to maintain control. It is oppressive, but it never loses focus, demonstrating Prunell’s improved sense of balance in sound design.

The quieter Sons of Shadows acts as a moment of desolate reprieve. Hollow drones dominate, occasionally interrupted by shifting foreground sounds and static distortions that suggest unease beneath the surface. The track captures a haunting stasis, evoking the eerie quiet that lingers either in the eye of a storm or in its desolate aftermath.

The title track Makt Myrkranna closes the release with a return to sheer atmosphere. Static washes, droning tones, and alien frequencies build gradually into something oppressive and foreboding, pushing the listener into a state of heightened awareness. It is tense, suffocating, and appropriately final, a descent into darkness that feels both inevitable and complete.

What makes Makt Myrkranna stand out is not only the conceptual depth behind it but also the care in its execution. Where Stridore’s debut often overwhelmed with sheer abrasive noise, this EP demonstrates restraint and control. The mix is clear and layered, textures are given space to resonate, and the imperfections of the live recording process imbue the music with personality rather than distraction. It is more accessible without losing intensity, more atmospheric without losing its edge, and ultimately a testament to Prunell’s growth as a sound sculptor.

SCORE / Excellent – Makt Myrkranna is a deeply unsettling yet strangely captivating listen, a work that succeeds in marrying experimental sound design with evocative storytelling. It captures the unease of myth and the atmosphere of horror while remaining grounded in a very human sense of expression.

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