We’ve been here before. Ever since Mork came around with its second album eight years ago, it would be an understatement to say that it has been quite the wild ride since. The act has been a constant in my reviews since then with the talent and prowess of this Norwegian black metal something that has been recognized the world over for all the right reasons with Mork rightfully residing in the upper echelons of what the genre has to offer with few able to come even close when it comes to newer names. After six albums, it would only stand to statistical reason that a significant dip would have taken place. It’s with the arrival of album seven, however, that Mork continues to impress and defy the odds.

A supreme bastion of northern darkness that many in black metal have long strived to achieve in any substantial form, we’re all more than aware of how much Mork stands out from the crowd with even its somehow darker off-shoot, Udåd, flaunting the chops of Mork’s mastermind. Walking into the dark forest of “Syv”, it becomes extremely clear that even after twenty years since Mork’s inception and not even two years after its still-flavorful predecessor, 2023’s “Dypet”, this is not an act to underestimate. Arguably the most varied and exploratory record that Mork has put out in some time, “Syv” is takes the approach that Mork has become synonymous with and throws it into a realm of uncertainty where the dilemma of mortality looms large overhead while there’s always the prospect of being able to overcome it for an odd sensation of optimism that contributes even more to the understanding the very contrasting movements of the human existence; a swirling experience that is as expected sonically as it is unexpected lyrically from a band like Mork. Driven by riffage that feels just as potent as those within previous works like “Katedralen” and “Den Vandrende Skygge”, “Syv” rises to become something that feels like a breath of fresh air while still absolutely being a creation undeniably that of what Mork has long been.

Steadfast in its dedication to all that is Norwegian black metal, stagnation itself doesn’t seem to have lasting effect on Mork. It would be all too easy for any band to find itself within a slump or making similar decisions with its craft after seven albums and even more so after twenty years, but it is in this scenario that Mork once again proves itself to be not amongst the rabble we’re all intimately familiar with. “Syv” is a testament to the power of Mork with the darkness only deepening around the act, further strengthening the immensity of this sinister power.

“Syv” releases on September 20th via Peaceville Records!

LISTEN to singles from “Syv” on Bandcamp here.

LIKE Mork on Facebook here.