Year: 2021
Total Time: 48:02
Label: Peaceville Records

MORK comes from Norway and is the personal vision of founder and leader of the band  Thomas Eriksen, who is responsible for everything. MORK was formed in 2004 and faithful to their country’s musical tradition they followed the Black Metal paths. So far, they have released five full lengths, including this year’s “Katedralen”, three EPs and two splits. Mostly, they swam in murky waters, as their releases were just noteworthy without having the “thing” that would make them stand out. To my very pleasant surprise, this is going to change with their new album “Katedralen”, as Thomas Eriksen offers us MORK’s best album in their career so far.

The music is mostly influenced by the second wave of Black Metal with the main influences coming from DARKTHRONE and TAAKE, whose well-known Black’n’Roll aesthetic is reflected in the album’s guitar work and melodies. Of course, MORK do not just try to copy these elements, instead they are filtering it through their personal sound with Thomas Eriksen delivering us some excellent compositions. Each song has its own personality with quite a variety of riffs and melodies, while the parts where Thomas uses clean vocals and combines it with Black’n’Roll guitars will  make you creep out. The album in its dark and cold atmosphere sounds complete overall, managing to strike the ideal balance between Black Metal’s tradition and modernity and is by a wide margin MORK’s most mature album to date.

Thomas Eriksen’s perseverance and hard work are paying off, as the new album captures MORK’s musical progress in recent years. Do not be discouraged by “Katedralen”, thinking that Norway in 2021 has nothing to offer in Black Metal, as MORK with their new record will shatter your doubts. Their new album is dark, cold, raw and by recalling the haunting and terrifying sound of early Black Metal it travels us on enchanting musical paths.

Rating: 7,5/10
Editor: Nikos Manousis
Related Link: MORK – Facebook Page