Peaceville Records

Mork, Dypet (Peaceville 2023)

Wayne Edwards, , , , ,

Norwegian black metal band Mork stares into dark eternity with Dypet.

Mork is an incantation, or perhaps an avatar, of Thomas Eriksen, who himself is known far and wide for is work in heavy music. With Mork, Eriksen has released five previous albums, and a long string of EPs. Writing and recording is done entirely by Erickson. For live performances, The Metal Archives tells us he is joined by Alex Bruun (guitar), Rob (bass), and Daniel Minge (drums).

Talking about the new record, Eriksen states, “… the album title, which translates to “The Deep”, something from the depths has been brought to the surface, “Dypet” was inspired by my life over the last couple of years, the thoughts, feelings, passion and the evolving of creative free will.” Additionally, you hear deeply dark themes echoing the cover art that fit perfectly into black metal framing. “Using the Norwegian coastline as [its] setting, the artwork illustrates a mysterious cult that now worships the ‘Draugen’ (a mythical sea ghost in Norwegian lore) paying homage to the sea dwelling beast of Cthulhu.”

The set begins with “Indre Demoner.” It is like walking through a ruined churchyard in northern Europe. As you get closer to the main structure, your dread builds and you start to notice things that are not quite right. Continuing does not seem like a great idea, but it also dark behind you, so you walk on. Once the music gets rolling, it is surprisingly hooky, with a steady, noddable rhythm. The growling hiss of the vocals reminds you where you are, and even with the smooth production, the threat feels real. “Forfort Av Kulden” follows, balancing melody with sharp edges and a theatrical middle. “Svik” is a sorrowful piece that makes you think about how devastating it is when somebody does something wicked to you – this music captures that feeling exceptionally well.

What strikes me about this album is the combination of the depth of the sinister it is able to conjure and the approachability of the music. It is very unusual to generate such profound emotions of this sort in a relatable way. Songs like “Et Kall Fra Dypet” are musically harsher compared to others in the set, yet still they somehow are inviting – or maybe they are entrancing. I particularly appreciate “Avskum” which has such a deliciously dark cook to it, and the closer, “Tilbake Til Opprinnelsen,” is a mage’s spell told in a nightmare. Recommended.

Dypet is out on Friday, March 24th through Peaceville Records. Choose your path at the links below.

Links.

Mork website, https://www.morkisebakke.no/

Bandcamp, https://peaceville.bandcamp.com/album/dypet

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/MORKOFFICIAL

Peaceville Records, http://peaceville.com/bands/mork/

© Wayne Edwards

Mork, Dypet (Peaceville 2023)

Autopsy, Morbidity Triumphant (Peaceville 2022)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , ,

Oakland death metal band Autopsy is back after eight years with a new full-length album, Morbidity Triumphant.

Autopsy stomped the earth in the first half of the nineties. Their first two albums, Severed Survival (1989) and Mental Funeral (1991), are considered by many to be standards even now. They were a band that cut deeply in the death metal scene, and left carnage in their wake. The band split in 1995, then reformed in 2008/9 and have been cracking on ever since. Their most recent full-length album came out in 2014, Tourniquets, Hacksaws and Graves, and there have been EPs and splits, compilations, and live albums aplenty along the way. Morbidity Triumphant is Autopsy’s eighth long-player. The band is Eric Cutler (guitar), Danny Coralles (guitar), Chris Reifert (vocals, drums), and Greg Wilkinson (bass).

Autopsy was different from other death bands in the way they used grindcore, punk, and doom in their musical constructions. You get this on the new album as well. The first song is “Stab the Brain.” What a great title. It sounds at first like a disturbed beehive, then a groove kicks in unexpectedly. The chaotic swirl tag teams the groove and hook, showing how well the two disparate ideas can work together. Clever moments of melody and lead guitar bursts elevate the composition to the next level. “Final Frost” is next, and it has an eastern mystical twinge and a moving doom posture walking it to a different space compared to the opener. The second movement of the song is straight up death metal, and then the doom comes back. “The Voracious One” is different still, starting on a groove with a great disarming riff. This one is a top pick for me from the set.

Every song is more than one thing on the new Autopsy album. It is filled with doom and mysticism, and also raging death metal. I particularly like “Tapestry of Scars” for the depths of its doom, and “Skin By Skin” in a similar vein. “Maggots in the Mirror” is a wonderfully stabby punk piece, and “Your Eyes Will Turn to Dust” is perfectly dreary closer. To me, Autopsy has struck exactly the right tone at every turn on this record. Highly recommended.

Morbidity Triumphant is out on Friday, September 30th through Peaceville Records in the customary forms. Check it out through the links below.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://peaceville.bandcamp.com/album/morbidity-triumphant

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100050176223094

Peaceville Records, https://peaceville.com/bands/autopsy/

© Wayne Edwards

Autopsy, Morbidity Triumphant (Peaceville 2022)

Darkthrone, Eternal Hails… (Peaceville Records 2021)

Wayne Edwards, , , , , , , ,

Fenriz and Nocturno Culto are back with another bubbling cauldron of metal: Eternal Hails…

Darkthrone has been throwing its weight around the heavy music scene since the mid-1980s. Cracking in with Death Metal at first, they became well known for the seminal Black Metal albums they released in the 1990s – 1993’s Under A Funeral Moon, for example, and its immediate successor the following year, Transylvanian Hunger. New albums came over the years, laying down the history of the band and establishing its legacy.

The new record leans into the Doom Metal side of the Darkthrone universe with five long crushing tracks. When I say doom, I mean heavy doom. “His Master’s Voice” is slow and pulverizing with a tempo change or two but clearly focused on pressing you down with its mass. “Hate Cloak,” my personal favorite of this set, stays in the same lane, with straight-forward riffs that have an overwhelming simplicity that is hypnotizing.

“Wake of the Awakened” breaks the gate with an up-tempo rate and the pace is maintained throughout, like a charging cavalry. “Voyage to a Northpole Adrift” offers a riff of despair in its establishing moments, but turns to a purposefulness later on that gives you a feeling of exploration in a barren place. The anchor song is “Lost Arcane City of Uppåkra.” This song more than any of the others fits perfectly the description Fenriz gave the album, “Five heavy dinosaurs looking in wonder and bewilderment at the stars.” Heavy, monstrous, unstoppable.

I have always liked the music Darkthrone creates no matter what direction they go in. I’d put this new album high on the list of their accomplishments, even given all the great work they have done in the past. Recommended.

Eternal Hails… is out on Friday, June 25th from Peaceville Records in CD, vinyl, and digital formats.

Band photo by Jørn Steen.

Links.

Bandcamp, https://peaceville.bandcamp.com/album/eternal-hails

Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/Darkthrone-101075189934422

Peaceville Records, https://peaceville.com/bands/darkthrone/

Darkthrone, Eternal Hails… (Peaceville Records 2021)