ALBUM REVIEW: Dypet – Mork
Norwegian black metal powerhouse MORK has rightly been making waves since first emerging out of the frozen chasms of their home country, and over the course of the last decade, the band (aka Thomas Eriksen) has constantly delivered ice-cold swathes of hypnotic black metal that have a huge sound about them. The eerie power of the music is enhanced by the epic nature of the songs as they soar with that epic nature right at the forefront.
This is certainly evident on MORK‘s sixth album Dypet (which translates as from Norwegian as “The Abyss” or “The Depths” and is beautifully depicted in the album artwork) and this is definitely an apt title and something that shaped the album as you can imagine being swept away by the darkness of those depths. Dypet marks the music of MORK getting even bigger and filed with more grandeur while still staying true to the black metal roots and ethos that have shaped the band since the very beginning. However, this is an album that shows the vision and growth in a way that hasn’t been seen before.
From the atmospheric opening number Indre Demoner right through to the swirling and frantically epic album closer Tilbake Til Opprinnelsen, the musical journey that MORK takes sounds completely massive and this has to be the band’s most diverse album to date, particularly as it features macabre synths and a fearsome appearance from Hjelvik, formerly of fellow Nordic legends KVELERTAK, on the brilliant Hoye Murer.
The music on Dypet also takes on more of an almost cinematic approach to black metal than it has previously and this is what elevates the record from a lot of other black metal albums; the forward thinking nature of MORK is what puts their music one step ahead.
It has to be said that something that is not always the case for many black metal bands is the quality of the production of their music. Of course, it is that rawness that makes a lot of bands special but sometimes rawness for rawness’ sake just doesn’t cut it. That is definitely not the case for MORK and Dypet as the production on this album is pristine and sounds absolutely huge. There are many sonic ideas going on here and they all get the chance to shine and the tracks sound even bigger because of this.
Despite all of this grandeur however, Dypet is still an evil sounding black metal album and the misanthropic heaviness is what ultimately propels it to greater heights, it is just enhanced by its epic nature and the results are exhilarating, especially on songs like Et Kall Fra Dypet and Avskum. This is undoubtedly the finest MORK album to date and it deserves to reach even greater heights with its sounds of venomous majesty, so turn it up loud and feel the darkness of Dypet, it’s something you will not regret.
Rating: 8/10
Dypet is out now via Peaceville Records.
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