One of Norway’s modern greats is back a timely two years after venturing through the halls of Katedralen, and this return brings the next chapter of MORK’s eminent legacy titled Dypet, which forges past known shores by joining some novel synth elements with their Halden riffcraft. Its concept puts a Norwegian spin on the Lovecraftian mythos, evoking an ancient coastal village within that is devoted to a sea spirit called Draugen, and tempestuous formulas are raised in the orchestrations to reflect its imposing presence. Like the fanatics dwelling in this distant land, listeners will also be drawn to the deepest and most ineffable trenches of Dypet, where MORK’s instrumental prowess weaves many intricate tales across regions of ice and shadow.
The bleakness approaches cleanly on “Indre Demoner (Inner Demons),” with an initial and desolate howling synth wave also launching its forlorn course, and other effects follow a sliding riff descent into ravaged progressions. These offset the gloom with a grimness further driven vocally, and drumming capably shifts pace to accommodate a hallucinatory drop in the evolving mass. It intensifies when arpeggiations and warped tremolo layers emerge, and similar forms become central to the affliction of “Forført Av Kulden (Seduced by the Cold),” where distinct elemental chills and wind capture the wintry essence. A dreary sequence unfolds in the harmonic trance brooding over its blizzard of distortion, and this climate proves relentless while a deathly euphoria takes hold melodically. Such intricate displays of fretwork abound on “Svik (Betrayal),” along with dismal shades of riffing to parallel the despair radiating throughout. A lead melody lightens the burden momentarily, and clean vocals, which overall seem less pronounced on this work, appear subtly behind harsh counterparts as the aura continues to swell. Its elevations are swiftly countered by the instant and dissonant magnitude of “Et Kall Fra Dypet (A Call From the Deep),” and frenzied tremolo points match the detail of various fretted patterns observed in structures carrying a heavy rhythmic emphasis. Darkness then concentrates during the drift into an arpeggiated menace, and the overarching theme effectively surfaces through a compositional lingering within this malign core.
A tremolo fury tears through the melancholic textures of “Høye Murer (High Walls),” and slower grooving paces highlight its complex interaction between multiple layers, including areas of pointed malevolence in riffage compounded by arpeggiated and vocal grimness. The latter torment reaches visceral extremes when contributions from Erlend Hjelvik arise, and a haunting atmospheric presence is also perceived intermittently, with an influence passing on to the bleak advance of “Bortgang (Departure).” Its glaring notes capitalize on dissonance amid a striking rhythmic focus, and dreadful variations are exhibited when a lead melody soars beyond the engulfing malignance. A mournful dissipation is marked before shifting to wrath on “Avskum (Scum),” and heavy banging riffs are fully empowered here while different noted shapes reinforce their impact. A striding transition is notable for its thick contorted and icy tremolo convergence, and structural diversity continues with another fretted excursion, which oscillates amid the attack until disembodied forces herald “Tilbake Til Opprinnelsen (Back to the Origin).” The synth element casts its enchantment over this mass of a closing rite, where an array of hostile specters set in during each successive passage, and clean vocals return for a culmination affirming steadfast devotions to the deep.
MORK is known for lyrics channeling misanthropic and philosophical views alongside dark natural conjurings, which are blackened further by a Norwegian lingual quality, but it of course limits the specifics of their contents to those fluent in this language. My curiosity led to attempts at translation that yielded some deeper insights, with a love/hate conflict toward an internal malignance conveyed on “Indre Demoner,” and disturbed mental states are also likely as the cold lures one to demise on “Forført Av Kulden.” Its frigid effects on the body are described lucidly, and “Svik” follows with a different variety of anguish involving treachery between kinsmen. The resentment surrounding severed blood ties is noted, along with the mention of a “Brother” who remains unidentified, and the mystery here extends to what lies beneath the waves on “Et Kall Fra Dypet.” This is where the concept on the cover art is brought to life, and a contemptuous mindset persists while directing doom at the cultists descending into its watery abyss.
Times long past become immersive with the palisade constructed on “Høye Murer,” and it stands in opposition toward incoming “Holy” influencers, who are struck mercilessly while the heritage of those in the fortress remains proudly upheld. The infinite cycles between life and death are recalled through “Bortgang,” with epic remnants of war and natural elements rising among its poetic depictions, and a despair within extends to further disdain on “Avskum.” The group type referenced here is open to interpretation, but they are clearly likened to rats as lies are exposed from behind their crumbling veil. This abhorrence is followed appropriately by a catastrophic summoning on “Tilbake Til Opprinnelsen,” where Draugen appears to fulfill an end paralleled by scenarios calling the Ancient Ones. The selected points from translations here are approximate, and hopefully also accurate, but another intriguing and significant dimension to the music is surely brought out with these details.
The dimness creeps toward newfound levels of impenetrability on Dypet, with soundscapes reflecting a continuous expansion within MORK’s compositional abyss, and the layers uncovered while descending through its chasms follow intuitively from those previously explored. The necrotic roots of past eras remain unwavering, but they’ve taken a more refined form that imbues their essence with pronounced atmospheric shades. These are integrated favorably among the riff-forward structures, which advance bleak masses laced multifariously with waves of melodic influence, and the storm also intensifies across points striking heavily with a rhythmic emphasis. Clean-sung passages demonstrate the progression vocally, and they heighten certain auras without diminishing the harsher focus, which fits the cold melancholic tones evoked throughout. All the elemental hues and currents harmonize with an allure that is sharply depicted on the cover art, and the mighty spirit of Dypet succeeds in carving its own rune at the heights of blackened splendor.
themisanthreport.com 