Richard HolmesArtist
Mork
Track
Ødelagt
Mork backstory
Masterminded by multi-instrumentalist Thomas Eriksen, Mork have created some of Norway’s most evocative post-noughties black metal.
Yes, it took him a while to get going (there were six years between the Rota til ondskap demo and debut album Isebakke), but Eriksen hit his stride around 2019’s Det svarte juv, as he sculpted second wave BM to his own spectral design.
Katedralen – featuring guest spots from Darkthrone’s Nocturno Culto and Kampfar’s Dolk – was our Black Metal Album of 2021: “a towering edifice” we called it.
And Eriksen showed his prowess again on 23’s Dypet and 24’s Syv.
Now there’s another full-length in the pipeline, with Monolitt set to hit us this summer.
Ødelagt is the first single to be taken from that opus.
In Thomas Eriksen’s own words
“A stark monument to the unrelenting brutality of reality, the monolith looms above us, immovable, indifferent, eternal. Its crushing presence bears down on the spirit, suffocating hope and testing the limits of endurance. It is an experience carved in stone, unyielding.”
The verdict on Ødelagt
Eriksen is a black metal conductor par excellence and the hypnotic, oppressive Ødelagt is a prime example of his talent and dynamism.
Exploring “the downfall of self”, the song is one of Mork’s heaviest efforts yet and at times, its intensity burns white hot. The opening riff tears reality. The thrashy mid-section dances in darkness. And that closing doom-out just drags you right under.
Monolitt could be something very special indeed, if Ødelagt is anything to go by…
What’s next for Mork?
Monolitt will be released on June 19 via Peaceville.
The band will be playing an album release show on July 3 at Oslo’s John Dee and later in the year, they’ll be heading across Europe: Mork’s extensive tour will begin at Portugalete, Spain on October 1 and end in Maastricht on October 25.