MORK ‘Monolitt’

MORK
Monolitt
Peaceville Records

Thanks to decades of TV reruns, most Americans are much more apt to equate the name MORK with Robin Williams, “Na-Nu, Na-Nu,” Mindy and lots of stereotypical sitcom shenanigans than grim and frostbitten kingdoms, dark, forbidden forests and old-school Norwegian black metal. The MORK in this case, however, is very much the latter – and definitely “ikke noe å le av,” or no laughing matter. 

The mostly one-man entity, captainedcaptained by creative director and multi-instrumentalist Thomas Eriksen, has been serving up second wave-style black metal for more than two decades. And since 2013, MORK – which apparently just stands for “Mork,” and is not a play on “Mørk,” the Norwegian word for “dark” – has produced seven ever-more adventurous, if often primal sounding, albums.

MORK’s seventh album ‘Syv’ – or, appropriately, “Seven” – from 2024 was its most diverse and nuanced effort yet and displayed much more robust, “professional” production than its predecessors. This approach accentuated the nuances and sophistication of the compositions and ratcheting up the sheer power of the performance while retaining some of the signature grit – and it certainly raised the bar even higher for Eriksen/the band moving forward.

‘Monolitt,’ or “Monolith,” is both another leap ahead and a small step back for MORK – and in a good way in both respects. The material here is less daring than it was on ‘Syv,’ which featured intermittent orchestration and the largely acoustic/clean sung finale “Omme.”But it makes up for that with its utter ferocity and complexity, and the production is even bigger and bolder, bringing a new level of heaviness to MORK’s already imposing delivery.

Where the approach of earlier works was reminiscent of DARKTHRONE’s scraggly minimalism, the fuller, ballsier presentation here recalls VREDEHAMMER, another one man-ish outfit that emerged from Norway around the same time as MORK, or to a lesser degree KEEP OF KALESSIN, without the sci-fi and dragon towers and such. MORK’s sound may not quite be as grand, but there is an epic quality to its most recent music, and it is certainly intricate and ambitious.

‘Monolitt’ is the closet MORK has come to an actual “band” effort. After handling literally just about everything in the past, Eriksen enlisted drummer Asgeir Mickelson (ex- of BORKNAGAR and IHSAHN) and vocalist Øyvind Kaslegard from MORK’s touring lineup to perform on the album. And while Eriksen recorded everything, it was mixed and mastered in a Norwegian/American team effort by folks who had worked with MAYHEM, DARKTHRONE and SEPULTURA, among many others. The results make for a ripping good listen.

 ‘Monolitt’ offers nine tunes and almost constant motion, from blasting tempos and frantic trems and heaving, surging riffs and chugs to black ‘n roll-ish bluster and trudge and intermittent creepy crawls.“Skrømt,” with its more traditional black metal aesthetic and rousing gang shouts, and the full-frontal “Jutul,” which offers eerier tag-team vocals and some surprising melody, are the album’s most direct tracks. The rest are less linear and more prone to dramatic fits and starts and twists and turns.

“Ødelagt” counters its darting, divebombing opening with headbang-able hooks and sudden moodiness. “Inn i en annen sfære” slingshots from stark, sparse atmospherics to martial crunch, wailing backing vocals and splashy drum fills, whereas the churning tangle of riffs on “Martyr” gives it an almost tech-death feel. The ferocious finale “Utryddelse” adds weird, dialogue-like vocal effects to its tumult of riffs, galloping drums and screams.

Yet ‘Monolitt’ is a cohesive and commanding work with the compositions truly coming to life thanks to MORK’s laser-focused performance and the resonant, layered mix. And with Eriksen’s dynamic guitar work and rabid snarling vocals, and Mickelson’s propulsive drumming, it is always intense.

As MORK has evolved and advanced, Eriksen hasn’t totally left the old school behind. He launched another one-man project, UDÅD,a few years back to focus on rawer, more aggressive, or “necro,” black metal, perhaps giving license MORK to continue build on its considerable strengths without being tied to “true” conventionality. Smart move.

4.5 Out Of 5.0