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Mork

“Dypet” (Peaceville Records, 2023)


I sometimes wonder what are the reasons that make us ignore something and later go back to it and give it our attention, only to find out we were missing out on amazing Art and blame ourselves for being pricks at first. The mysteries of the human mind. i believe we all do that, in a way… My trip for the day will take me up North, more precisely to Halden, where we meet up with Thomas Eriksen to talk about Mork’s latest endeavour, “Dypet”, out on Peaceville, way back in March… And what was I missing, mates!

Mork is one of those bands that hold the TNBM motto, closely. People normally state that TNBM died around the turn of the century, which is preposterous if you ask me. I agree that some bands did have a change in sound - some went wild as Hell - but the core essence was never lost, and Mork is a show of that. TNBM is not just a replica of “Deathcrush” or “Transilvanian Hunger”, but a dark and haunting atmosphere that transports the listener to a special mindset. Take the Nidrosian scene, for example. A mystic, ritualistic, raw aggression, existence. A man’s connection with dark spirits. This is the spirit we associate with Norwegian Black Metal.

I have always been fascinated with the Norwegian scene. Yes, I will not ignore past occurrences to justify initial love for this scene, but it quickly grew into something more than just scandal and absurd actions, it grew to become an honest fascination for the Art that was - and still is - the Norwegian Black Metal scene. This year’s Beyond the Gates festival brought back the teen years, and automatically I went back and tried to recapture some of those moments, especially with Enslaved and Dimmu Borgir (still love them, sorry). Nevertheless, it started a need to see what is being done today in Norway, and along with Djevel - and their amazing last record - I gave Mork a listen. I had read plenty of good things about the band, but never really felt the need to listen to it… stupid.

Mork is a superb and accelerating adventure into Norwegian melodies. Haunting and clean, melodic, and harsh, Thomas lays it all out on the wet floor, and we simply absorb his craft. And the funny thing about Mork is that Thomas was able to build an entity that “dresses” old spirits with contemporary cloths. Thomas’ Black Metal is not a fast one, nor a violent one; Thomas’ Black Metal is a melodic one, a Black Metal that lures you into this trance of Dark imageries; Thomas’ Black Metal might not please all Black Metal fans, of course, who are in their right to say that Thomas does not play Black Metal the way the forefathers envisioned it, and they are right, to some degree. Black Metal is all about atmosphere, and Mork carries the Norwegian atmosphere, with the addition of “external elements”. Post, maybe… but who cares?

“Dypet” shows that Norway did not lose its status, and will hardly ever lose it, especially when we have musician unafraid to break barriers and pursue a sound that breathes Past and Future. A magnificent piece of Norwegian Black Metal.

Peaceville Official Bandcamp




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