It’s with pretty much every style that I’ve come across that I’ve been lucky enough to find a good number of acts that really intrigue me and get my attention. For many, black metal is adorned by the likes of Darkthrone, Mayhem, Burzum, and such others of legendary status. Nothing wrong with that, but I’ve found myself listening to Mork in recent years more than any of those combined, and it’s only through the endorsement of the likes of Fenriz along with an undeniably infectious power that they’ve come this far. It was with their third album that I felt something was missing even if just a little, but the power, quality, and sheer excellence are brought in full force for the entirety of Mork’s brand new fourth full-length album!

What I really found immensely satisfying about Mork when I first heard them three years ago was how they could take such a lo-fi sound and mix them with stellar riffage to create what was one of my favorite records of that year. After not a long silence after their last effort, Mork has now returned to us with an album that’s just as much of a banger as we could’ve expected from this young but already prolific act that is, undoubtedly, at the forefront of the new age of Norwegian black metal legends. Simply put, practically everything about “Det Svarte Juv” from its production to the songwriting to that ominous cover art is done with one masterful stroke after another. Where some might try and go for a slightly different approach come their fourth full-length, Mork refuses to do such and returns with their classic formula that’s just as effective as it is deadly. It’s within this 50-minute monster that Mork yet again pulls us into a realm like few others where all is black with only the deafening cacophony that Mork has crafted here to accompany us as we blindly stumble forth. With riffs abound wrapped in a thick blanket of sheer black metal brilliance the likes of which we rarely get elsewhere while simultaneously being guided masterfully as Mork put you in the exact state of mind that they want you to be in: as vulnerable to their darkness as possible. And it’s each and every track of “Det Svarte Juv” that does just that to where by the time it grinds to an end, you’re simply left wanting more.

This was a record that I knew was only going to be a matter of time before we got it as Mork really came back around to demolish us, but I wasn’t expecting it so soon! You’d think after signing to a pretty big label and gaining a fanbase that’s more deserving of talent like this that you’d maybe space out your releases to do a good chunk of touring and such madness. Yet, Mork refuses to stay quiet for too long and we will happily accept anything they throw forth! “Det Svarte Juv” has the potential to become a real hit within the black metal community, and should it find the right audience as it’s predecessors did then there’s very little stopping Mork from becoming even more of a phenomenon that everyone has to hear.

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