EP REVIEW: Den Svevende Festning – Mork
Whilst black metal continues to push itself into new and challenging musical territories, for some bands sticking true to the blasphemous rulebook established decades prior remains a core part of their ethos. MORK is one such band. Since their devilish inception back in 2004, the project helmed by Thomas Eriksen has won plaudits in extreme metal circles worldwide for encapsulating the raw ferocity and darkness of black metal’s greats. Den Svevende Festning, the band’s new EP, arrives hot on the heels of last year’s Katedralen and intends to bridge the gap to their next full-length effort.
Comprised of previously unreleased material from the Katedralen sessions, as well as a splattering of live cuts, Den Svevende Festning is a compact package of raw Norwegian black metal that feels like it has been pulled from a time capsule of the early 1990s. The EP’s opening title track swings to a digestible mid-tempo groove as the ice-laden riffs intertwine with the thundering blastbleats to devastating effect, whereas Ormtunge walks a tight rope between piercing shrieks, atmospherics that swirl like a maelstrom, and a wicked vocal display from Eriksen that makes the track perforate in your eardrums.
The final ‘new’ song on offer here is a reworking of Født Til Å Herske, which was previously only available digitally. The reworked version boasts a truly gnarly arsenal of punchy riffing before subsiding into a prolonged passage where the more atmospheric elements of the MORK soundscape are allowed to breathe, making for one epic closer to the track.
Side two of the record sees live renditions of three songs from last year’s Katedralen and the songs chosen (Arv, Det Siste Gode I Meg and Svartmalt) are all performed with the same vitriol and malicious intent that we’ve come to expect from MORK in the live arena. Arv sees Eriksen‘s range of snarls and haunting wails cut through the noise like a hot knife through butter; Det Siste Gode I Meg is thunderous with the excellent mix helping the track hit like a ten ton hammer; and Svartmalt‘s snappy riffs are full of bite and venom. For those looking for a glimpse into the MORK live experience, these three songs offer a tasty appetiser.
Den Svevende Festning will likely only appeal mainly to long-time fans of MORK or black metal fanatics. For the casual listener, this release will likely not have a massive impact. But, for all intents and purposes, this EP acts as a pitstop ahead of the band’s next full-length offering and showcases across its compact runtime that MORK are one of the most devilishly excellent bands within black metal today.
Rating: 7/10
Den Svevende Festning is out now via Peaceville Records.
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