With a sound that defies generic labels and a vision that stretches the limits of creativity, Múr are the latest descendents from Iceland’s volcanic underground. The emerging quintet are forging a new era of dark, atmospheric and boundary shattering metal. With progressive sensibilities that harken to the Devin Townsend Project and mid-era Opeth, a talent to cohesively juxtapose atmospheric textures with polished technicality a la Neurosis and Gojira, and a focus on jazz study among the fresh-faced instrumentalists, Múr is already proving itself to be a reckoning force.
Exhibiting a musicianship that collectively exhibits impressive virtuosity, it’s unsurprising that frontman Kári Haraldsson (Vocals, Keytar, Synthesizers), guitarists Hilmir Árnason and Jón Ísak Ragnarsson, bassist Ívar Klausen and drummer Árni Jökull Guðbjartsson each already have established impressive resumes as their interest in music all started in their early childhoods. Haraldsson is an unprecedented force, not only transforming the typically bright and cheerful keytar into an ominous weapon of sound, he has been a musician since the early age of five when he started taking drumming lessons with his grandfather. His interest in music continued to flourish in his teens, where he studied classical and jazz piano and ultimately started to try his hand in composition. His efforts paid off as he already has written scores for two projects - the Icelandic feature film ‘Harmur’ (‘Come to Harm,' 2021) and the Icelandic TV series, ‘Gestir’ (2024). His cinematic sensibilities are now evident in the gradoise soundscapes that he creates for Múr.
Haraldsson then released his first solo project, Bláþræðir, in 2020, which was part of a larger collaborative project in which he and director Hrafnkell Tumi Georgsson made an animated short film with an original score. This partnership soon came to produce Múr’s haunting first music video for the song “Heimsslit.” Ever since Múr came into existence, it has been his main outlet for songwriting and is his purest creative expression.
Guitarists Hilmir Árnason and Jón Ísak Ragnarsson both had a similar trajectory, each learning classical guitar at a young age, but eventually learning the electric guitar as teens under the tutelage of Skálmöld’s Þráinn Árni Baldvinsson, who would eventually also play a role in Múr’s inception. Eventually, they each studied jazz, pursuing a formal education of the subject at Icelandic music schools Tónlistarskóli FÍH and Menntaskóli í Tónlist, respectively.
Also starting his musical training at age six, Árni Jökull Guðbjartsson didn’t start to hone his craft on drums until he was 13 and has performed in other local Icelandic bands (Krownest, Blóðmör) before joining Múr. His experience in punk and hardcore bands have been integral to his stage presence, lending to his immense energy and live ferocity.
Ívar Klausen also discovered his craft later in life, starting as a guitarist before conquering the bass. As a guitarist, he was actively involved in the local pop scene, contributing his talents both in studio and on stage for various artists. He also studied jazz guitar at the Icelandic music school Menntaskóli í Tónlist and has released several other records with his band Dópamín, where he sings and shreds the guitar as the frontman.
The commonalities between the musicians of Múr made the formation of this project almost seem inevitable, with ties between the members going back to their school years. “It started when Hilmir and I met in our first year of high school and started jamming in my mom’s garage, playing covers of our favorite rock and metal songs,” explains Haraldsson of the band’s inception. “Hilmir and Jón Ísak had the same guitar teacher at the time, Þráinn Árni Baldvinsson, but one day he introduced them to each other and strongly encouraged them to join forces with me in that very same garage the next weekend and start playing together. We became good friends over the next couple of years, meeting most weekends to hang out and play all sorts of different covers and some very early original material as well, but back then I was the drummer, so we were just a guitars and drums three-piece.
