Mork is never short of inspiration.
Barely a year and a half after his last production, Thomas Eriksen (all instruments, The Deathtrip, Udåd, October Moon…) unveils his seventh album, Syv, on Peaceville Records, illustrated by David Thiérrée (Behemoth, Exocrine, Kjeld, Mortiis…).
The musician is accompanied live by Alex Bruun (guitar, Rundown), Daniel Minge (drums, Dauden, ex-Ragnarok) and Øyvind Kaslegard (bass, Disintegration, Svart Lotus).
The album opens with the lengthy I tåkens virvel, a composition in which Black Metal’s icy roots are reborn in no time, revealing with them much more jerky passages where lead guitar hypnotizes us. The rocky vocal parts perfectly fit with the raw approach of the composition, but also with the disquieting dissonance closing the composition, giving way to the martial but melodic Holmgang where the vocalist returns to the basics of macabre, visceral Black Metal singing. We continue with Heksebål where coldness meets more playful patterns, creating an intriguing sound that seems to dance in madness before returning to a more hazy approach on Utbrent, where dissonance and even clean vocals invite themselves in to create a sensation of near-permanent unease while the more aggressive roots still run rampant. The explosive finale gives way to Med Døden Til Følge, where melodies venture into softer tones under cover of their infernal saturation, complemented by the vocalist’s roars, but also by a few backing vocals. Ondt Blod follows, immediately anchoring itself in an assumed ferocity barely tempered by a few slower passages to allow us to breathe, then Tidens Tann lets us slowly penetrate its darkness before placing a few sharper strikes. Riffs oscillate between lively passages and suffocating dissonance, but there’s something epic about the mix, while the instrumental Til Syvende Og Sist captivates and intrigues us with as mysterious as majestic harmonics, coupled with a melancholic violin. The composition breaks up, then picks up again, giving more freedom to this new instrument, and then Omme begins with soothing acoustic tones, joined by Thomas‘ reassuring voice, which accompanies us throughout this surprisingly effective lullaby to close the album.
If you knew Mork as a pure Norwegian Black Metal band, Syv will surprise you. The musician had announced that this album would be the most diversified of his career, and the many influences he injects into it won’t prove him wrong! Expect the unexpected, but in a totally assumed way.
90/100