New project for BOK.
Following his first demo released last year, Dutch musician MvG (Göll, Experimentum) unveils his first album, Mors Gregis, in 2025.
The haunting introduction to Doctrine of the Sulphur Kiss is quickly joined by guitar, then other instruments, and finally vocals, making the mix even more raw, although there is a slightly more melodic approach at times, particularly during the haunting synth parts. The blast beats remain very present on the most aggressive passages, as on The Sear, The Scream, The Stigma which takes over and plunges us into darkness at a steady pace, which is eventually broken to become slightly more complex. There are also some more ambient elements that reinforce the disturbing atmosphere, then Captured in Oblivion attempts to reassure us with a soft but anguished intro, followed by a fairly heavy but also very slow riff. The rhythm accelerates and adopts its icy Old School tones, but also allows a few more modern touches to creep in during moments of uncertainty before moving on to The Bearer and the Harlot, which begins with a noisy atmosphere before returning to its occult sounds. The ritualistic break and its choirs color the rest of the composition, which remains quite haunting, even during the return of the fury that leads us to Old flax into all flesh, where a new respite awaits us before the musician unleashes his fury. The slower passages help to reinforce the virulence that hits us head-on before we arrive at the ethereal introduction to The Quatertemper Raid, where electronic touches welcome us, paving the way for a passage that is half warrior, half shamanic, then Black Metal roots take over again to cover the mixture with a wilder aspect. The track is very long and offers a real journey through the universe of the project, passing through very solemn moments that contrast with the brutality of the rest, maintaining a fairly simple and minimalist approach before letting us catch our breath to join 1971-39, which immediately returns to violence, but also heaviness. The riffs roll out uncompromisingly in a martial fashion, calming down only to embrace ethereal influences before setting off again with renewed energy, then Spes altera vitae closes the album with its dissonance, first dreamlike then more vivid, thus ending the ritual with dark sounds.
As I suspected, BOK doesn’t just deliver riffs in a wild or more ethereal way; the project draws us directly into its work. Mors Gregis is the perfect soundtrack for letting our minds wander into dark thoughts.
85/100
