REVIEW: Musth - Jollysad

Humour is an extremely difficult thing to get right in metal. It almost feels as though extremely intricate performances shouldn’t go anywhere near comedy, you’d expect them to be completely at odds, otherwise you can quickly veer into self-parody. There’s two ways to avoid this that come to mind. The first is to use the songwriting and song structure itself as a vessel for the band’s sense of humour to come through. The other is to be Serj Tankian. For  most people, the first option is the only viable one, and that’s what MUSTH do throughout this EP. Already having made something of a name for themselves over 23 years of performing together, the upcoming Jollysad is just the newest example of this approach from the Norwegian alt-metal genre blenders.

One of the first things you hear on the opening track, Jollysad, is vocalist Alex Delver’s operatic performance over a cacophony of guitar noise, immediately followed by the first verse, which takes quiet-loud dynamics and twists them up a fair bit - this verse feels as though it’s part of a different song. Clean, hand-picked guitars, a tight rhythm, a much more relaxed vocal performance. It’s a jarring effect for sure, and it’s a good introduction into the eclecticism of this release from the get-go. Ending on a heavy, intense outro with a particularly odd time signature, it’s an outwardly, and vitally unashamedly, theatrical song.

Second track Pixeldust spends about thirty seconds going between plucky guitar playing that wouldn’t feel out of place on a MR BUNGLE’s California, distorted riffs, more varied and wacky vocal performances from Alex Delver, immediately followed by a short, chilled out break that almost sounds drug-influenced, clearly intentional as Delver sings “I’ve had too much… and it’s gone straight to my head… Woo!” All this before going straight back into the main riff we’ll hear again throughout the song, surrounded by several more unexpected little moments. Despite every moment feeling completely unique here, it manages to keep some level of cohesion. It ends on what sounds like traditional Spanish-inspired guitar playing with the band cheering and hollering in the background. Delver ends the whole affair while the song fizzles out by saying “Thank you, music lovers”.

Third track Disposable Income in the Hands of Teenagers might be the most essential cut here, despite being the shortest. The post-hardcore riff at the start is thrown out of the window immediately as they start playing what can only be described as the type of music you’d expect to hear in the background of a cartoon set on a tropical island, with some surf rock sensibilities thrown in there. Why this works within the song regardless is impossible to describe. “Oh, I’m living the fucking dream, I’ve got porn!” Delver screams halfway through the song as the song collapses in on itself over a thunderous performance. All before going back into the same surf rock riff as earlier! At a certain point you have to question what goes through the minds of the artists here, and more importantly, why more people haven’t had similar ideas before.

In comparison, En Passant plays it a bit more straight. Less theatrics, just a fun alt-rock tune, great dynamic builds and intense performances. That’s the thing with this release - even if you’re not acclimated to the sense of humour MUSTH put across here, you’ll still likely find something to like. Even in its silliest moments there’s clearly a real vision as well as fantastic instrumentation, and their influences come through in a balanced way. Since it’s such a short release, it’s absolutely worth a go!

Score: 8/10

Jollysad will be released on 22nd May 2026.

Words: Noise Leonard

Photos: Musth