Syv

There is absolutely no denying that Halden native Thomas Eriksen is a black metal genius. For 20 years now, he has been the driving force of one of the most consistently great black metal projects out there, Mork. This year, Eriksen decided to not only work on Mork’s 7th album, “Syv”, but also decided to start a new project, Udåd, which focuses on a more raw and aggressive black metal sound, allowing for more room for experimentation with his main project’s new release, be it intentional or not. In terms of “keeping the flame of Norwegian black metal alive” while still presenting an impressively polished and modern final product, it doesn’t really get better than Mork.

As far as one man projects go, black metal is probably the genre of metal where they are most common, that is a fact. The projects who are able to create a truly full sound, which really makes you doubt if it is really only one person, are really, really few and far between. Right from the get-go, that same doubt is planted in the mind of listeners with the broad soundscapes and deep atmosphere of the opener, “I Tåkens Virvel”, which is dark, fast and aggressive without necessarily being harsh for the sake of it, as many other bands of the style. In terms of riffs, then return of the formula Eriksen has perfected so well; a great amount of dissonance, with a tone that isn’t overbearingly cold, making the guitar lines feel oddly comfortable - like being embraced by the void. In the vocal department, Eriksen’s signature style returns, strong growls that still allow for plenty of space for the vocal melodies to shine and screams from the bottom of his soul.

In terms of the other components of the sound, it is as deep and full as ever, with each of the instruments fitting into each other like a glove. The mix is also to the standard we have come to expect with Mork over the years; every instrument is crystal clear, but still maintains some of the charm the horribly produced Darkthrone albums had, for example. Even with the addition of orchestral elements more towards the back half of the album, the mixing is still rock solid, with the violins and whatnot only adding more and more layers of depth into the already incredible sound of albums like last year’s “Dypet”. Bass follows the style standard of barely being audible, but it’s there, for sure. “Tidens Tann”, for one, has a very nice bassline, with its tone being surprisingly clean and not the bulldozingly distorted mess first wave bands like Venom brought to the table. Rock solid sound, really, as always.

“Til Syvende Og Sist” is one of those songs so good, so complex, so incredibly layered books could be written about it, but for the sake of brevity, I’ll limit myself to only a paragraph. It starts with a riff that would fit pretty well into any 80s hard rock album and a minimalistic, almost tribal-like groove that together, gives everything this strangely motivating feeling, which is only further accentuated when the guitars become more “conventionally black metal” and a minimalistic, but effective string section cascades into the mix. Although it is an instrumental track, during its 5 and a half minute runtime, there is not a single dull moment, with something different always happening, keeping the song fresh at all times. The orchestral section at around the 3:30 minute mark is also some of the genuinely most beautiful and most emotional parts of a black metal song I have heard in a while, with that solo needing no words to carry heaps of emotion. In general, it gets every newer idea that Eriksen has implanted into “Syv” and concentrates it into a brutal, but stunning track. “Omme”, the closer, is also just as majestic, but goes in a completely different - and yet again, unexpected - direction, being a clean, almost folk-like track, anchored mostly on vocals and acoustic guitar, closing off this amazing LP perfectly, suggesting the calm before an upcoming storm.

All in all, “Syv” is yet another example of why Mork is one of the greatest black metal bands of this generation. Moreover, it shows that Eriksen is also willing to experiment more and more with the project’s sound, maybe due to the dawn of his side project. This new album begs the question, could Mork be going into a different direction? Ultimately, only time will tell. Branching off or continuing to go down the path the other records put him on, one thing is for certain, whatever Mork comes out with will be of amazing quality. The future for Thomas Eriksen is as always. bright, and us fans eagerly await his next moves!


Written for MetalRules.

When it comes to the Norwegian black metal band Mork, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, you just know that everything you get will end up being just solid gold. For a band that's been around for so long, you would expect that we'll probably get something to celebrate the 20 years of misanthropy and darkness. Well, say no more folks, because that time is now. On September 20th 2024, Mork has released their seventh album Syv via Peaceville Records, marking a new chapter that was met with the crucial task of pleasing the fans and standing proudly on its feet. Now, is this album truly worthy of celebrating the band's 20th anniversary? Let's find out...

From the very get-go, the traditional Norwegian black metal elements of Mork make its grand appearance, once again presenting an incredible display of solid musical extremity and catchiness. The opening track "I tåkens virvel" does a wonderful job at setting the grey misanthropic tone of Syv, where you can clearly feel the slow entrance in the album's dark and unsettling nature through the constant solid riff work, drumming and harsh vocal performance of Thomas Eriksen as it shapes the heavy road ahead. Once the stage is set after a couple of tracks, you will truly feel like the band's musical horizon is expanding even further into different territories as it progresses, where everything is executed in such a way that you get this sense of chronology, like a direct continuation to the predecessor Dypet from last year, which certainly shifted the course after ending on a high note. One of the greatest and everlasting strengths of Mork's work was its psychological aspect, because you always get so immersed into the music with a sense of storytelling, and this album is no exception by any means. Syv gives you this perspective of a protagonist going through various challenging stages in his journey, full of questions and answers, and such is the progression of the album itself, because you really go through different scenarios and you just follow along as it goes. What's evident about this album is that the overall execution provides a highly nostalgic throwback to some of the band's earlier days that include the notable works such as Eremittens dal and Det svarte juv. Apparently it's a common feeling that many people got after hearing the singles "Utbrent" and "Heksebål", and I guess it's a matter of simplicity that is highly valued about the music of Mork, especially since these albums are regarded as the solid examples that built the band's strong foundation that would always go to the next level and so forth. Something that's so surprising and exceptional about Syv is the acoustic outro track "Omme" with clean singing vocals, which aside from giving the incredible sense of conclusion, was executed so well that it's like the end credits rolling after the the great climax

Songwriting is as strong and consistent as ever before, with a dynamic and complex approach implemented in the already rich song structures. No matter how many traditional Norwegian black metal elements there are all around the work of Syv, you just never stop to think that there is a repeated pattern throughout the entire album, because there aren't any instances of formulaic or template-based songwriting that would inevitably erase all the established potential. Every song on this album showcases that not every black metal band is doomed to end up with a monotone direction that is the general flaw of many artists, especially those who do not even care or think about avoiding one-dimensionality and mediocrity. Great examples such as "Tidens tann" or the instrumental "Til syvende og sist" successfully showcase that Thomas Eriksen is both a focused songwriter and dedicated musician who puts sweat and blood in his craft, and anyone with that kind of mindset will never let anything go to waste. I always said that Mork is a contemporary black metal interpretation of Theodor Kittelsen's art, both from a musical and visual perspective, and yet again the band proves itself worthy of that reputation, because the great sombre cover art of David Thiérrée alongside the excellent musicianship go hand in hand, plus you can't deny that the instrumental work really makes the album cover come to life.

Honestly, what can I say? Is there ever a reason to doubt that Mork will come back with another great experience of an album that will shine all the way through? If I may be so bold, I think that Syv truly shows the everlasting beauty of the band, as well as the exceptional quality of their music that just cannot disappoint. Although the impression of Dypet from last year was still incredibly fresh and circulating all around, I was more than happy to see where this album would take me, and despite all the general familiarity that I got from their music, Syv successfully avoided ending up within the realm of musical mediocrity and had only managed to go even deeper into the depths. In the end, we are all so lucky to have got another fine Norwegian black metal album that many fans will love and appreciate for years to come.

Written for www.Metalbite.com