Morgvir is a Finnish one-man band that got it's start under this name in 2006, and this is it's tenth and the most recent release to date (July 2010). The project plays Black Metal heavily influenced by Doom Metal, ambient and nature.
Endless Fog starts with a slow and rather high-pitch riff with a strong bass guitar pulse backing it up alongside sparse drumming, and the feeling is atmospheric and partly even Funeral Doom-like. Suddenly the riffs take a turn into a bit faster and cheerier directions just when the listener gets attracted to the atmosphere, and all that's left is confusion. The song doesn't really manage to regain the great atmosphere from it's beginning despite it's efforts, and the hasty fade-out end only highlights this. The next song is a faster one, and it's repetitive melody even has some catchiness and slight nordic folk-vibe, but it doesn't really catch off and it's doomy mid-part sounds a bit glued-on.
Song three has a pleasantly oldschool vibe. It starts with some high notes that lead to a waving mid-tempo riffing that gives the song a strong rhythm along with the plate-based drumming. As sad it is to notice, this one decides to delve into unfitting directions as well, that only succeed in making the song sound messy. After the one-minute instrumental Notko comes maybe the best song on the release. It has a more dense and powerful soundscape than the previous ones, and it really manages to lift it's drive to a new level. It also has a more logical structure, aside of the unnecessary faster part in it's end.
I know that pleasing the audience is not one of the band's main priorities, but I'd still like to point out some things that could be improved to enchance the atmosphere. First off, the biggest problem: for the most part the songs sound like they've been put together from small parts and riffs, with not enough care put into thinking about the songs' flow and the atmosphere's continuity. It's a great shame, as the songs contain a good amount of good ideas and riffs, but they're just put together in an unnatural vein. The low croaking vocals are back in the mix and don't really add anything to the songs aside of serving as an atmospheric element or instrument, so bringing them out here and there through a bit of variation and a higher volume level could work well. The guitars need a stronger sound to really bring out their wide sound scale and the deep and atmospheric of their melodies, as now they're too easily pushed under the other elements. They also leave the soundscape too empty, which damages the created atmosphere greatly and makes it a lot less overwhelming and appealing. The drum sound is uneven and too thin for the most part and doesn't fit together with the soundscape, but luckily their beats are mostly decent and fitting. The bass guitar has a strong and simple pulse throughout the record, and it does it's work pretty much flawlessly in supporting the guitar work. It could be more interesting, but thinking of the release's overall quality the bass guitar is worth mentioning.
It might seem like I'm bashing the band to the ground, but actually I found Morgvir's output very promising. Even though the overall result is not as good as it's parts, it does show that the band has great capabilities to execute some high-quality atmospheric Black Metal with devotion and a good connection to the nature. The atmospheres have something very interesting in them, and I hope that in the future I'll hear a fully refined release from this band.