MORK - Syv LP (CREAM)

Following on from mastermind Thomas Eriksen’s self-titled Udåd project debut earlier in 2024, Syv emerges as a pinnacle of Mork’s and Eriksen’s ever-evolving journey (as well as a creative expansion both sonically and compositionally).

 

The band's most expressive and diverse work to date, Syv contains exquisite melodies interspersed with brutal and even occasionally progressive riffs amid an ever-present air of melancholy. All of this forms a perfect backdrop for Eriksen’s thematic dive through contemplations of looming mortality, and digressions through the depths and contrasts of human existence; from the blackness of despair, to the pride and strength in overcoming, as well as absorbing additional inspiration from tales of old.

 

Performed, recorded and mixed by Eriksen, with engineering assisted by Freddy Holm (who also contributes strings and synths), the mastering was by notable studio mastering guru Maor Appelbaum (Sepultura) in collaboration with Jack Control at Enormous Door (Darkthrone). 

Now marking twenty years since inception - which has seen a strong rise through the tiers of the black metal scene - Mork was created by Thomas Eriksen in 2004 and was primarily a side-project from inception until the debut album, Isebakke, in 2013. Since then, with a constant flow of releases and live performances spanning various continents, the band has become one of the more prolific Norwegian black metal acts of recent years.