Mork's rise to international black metal Olympus continues inexorably. The Norwegian one-man band from Halden has gained more and more renown since the first album Isebakke from 2013 and the new album Katedralen sounds like a consecration. The album is a new old, so to speak, as it stems from an old concept, as mastermind Thomas Eriksen explains:
The album title “Katedralen” (cathedral) is actually an old one I’ve had laying around since the early days of Mork. I always had a vision of a vast desolate cold and dead land and a gigantic cathedral where lost souls are kept for all eternity. I remember fantasizing it being a concept EP, I suppose much like “Det Svarte Juv” was envisioned back in the day. However, that one did not end up as a concept album. “Katedralen” is not a concept album either, but I see now that all the tracks tie neatly together after all. In the end all the lost souls ends up at the base of the massive cathedral.
I like to think that Katedralen is a sort of monument, or cathedral, to Norwegian black metal and its tradition; it has that icy and desolate evocativeness and emotionality that is so typical of Norwegian black metal. From a musical point of view, Katedralen is mostly slow or mid-tempo, with some exceptions such as “De fortapte sjelers katedral”; in those slow and powerful riffs I see an influence from Darkthrone, listen to “Arv”; “Evig intens smerte” has instead that unique Nordic romanticism of bands like Taake. Katedralen is also the result of collaborations with stars of the Norwegian scene such as Nocturno Culto from Darkthrone and Dolk from Kampfar, and also Eero Pöyry from Finnish funeral doom metal outfit Skepticism (see below). Of course, Katedralen immediately enters the list of top black metal albums in 2021.
Notes:
Katedralen was released on March 5, 2021 via Peaceville Records.
Personnel:
Thomas Eriksen: everything
Guest and session musicians:
Nocturno Culto: vocals on track 2
Dolk: vocals on track 4
Eero Pöyry: keyboards on track 6
Text by Herjann
herjann@unholyblackmetal.com
The album title “Katedralen” (cathedral) is actually an old one I’ve had laying around since the early days of Mork. I always had a vision of a vast desolate cold and dead land and a gigantic cathedral where lost souls are kept for all eternity. I remember fantasizing it being a concept EP, I suppose much like “Det Svarte Juv” was envisioned back in the day. However, that one did not end up as a concept album. “Katedralen” is not a concept album either, but I see now that all the tracks tie neatly together after all. In the end all the lost souls ends up at the base of the massive cathedral.
I like to think that Katedralen is a sort of monument, or cathedral, to Norwegian black metal and its tradition; it has that icy and desolate evocativeness and emotionality that is so typical of Norwegian black metal. From a musical point of view, Katedralen is mostly slow or mid-tempo, with some exceptions such as “De fortapte sjelers katedral”; in those slow and powerful riffs I see an influence from Darkthrone, listen to “Arv”; “Evig intens smerte” has instead that unique Nordic romanticism of bands like Taake. Katedralen is also the result of collaborations with stars of the Norwegian scene such as Nocturno Culto from Darkthrone and Dolk from Kampfar, and also Eero Pöyry from Finnish funeral doom metal outfit Skepticism (see below). Of course, Katedralen immediately enters the list of top black metal albums in 2021.
Notes:
Katedralen was released on March 5, 2021 via Peaceville Records.
Personnel:
Thomas Eriksen: everything
Guest and session musicians:
Nocturno Culto: vocals on track 2
Dolk: vocals on track 4
Eero Pöyry: keyboards on track 6
Text by Herjann
herjann@unholyblackmetal.com
