Review: Mork – Monolitt

Review by Jeger

Mork – Monolitt

Record Label: Peaceville Records

Year: 2026

Rating: 9/10

From a strictly musical perspective, I’ve always been of the mind that the Norwegian school of Black Metal, without its status as a legendary Movement for obvious reasons, is perhaps the most boring school of Black Metal. Much of it sounds the same, which is to be expected to a certain degree, and I’ve never been a personal admirer of the early Second Wave Norwegian records. The scene is not known for Occult practices, illumination or transcendence of any kind, but for stories and folklore, Devil worship and various forms of mysticism that I don’t care about. That being said, I credit the scene with the respect it rightly deserves and sometimes when the Moon casts its soulful glow upon the Land of the Midnight Sun just right. When the spirits of those Ancestral Heroes of lore are roused from their ancient slumber, a project like Mork is born…

Mork has well-established itself over the course of just a handful of years as one of Norway’s most genuine Black Metal bands. And no one understands the Norse ethos quite as much as project visionary Thomas Eriksen, whose brilliant discography under the Mork banner has profoundly captured its spirit. And the music… Up until now, it’s been a mostly familiar affair. If you were to play any Mork album for any experienced BM’er, that BM’er would certainly recognize the music as Norwegian after only a few moments. But Mork’s forthcoming LP, “Monolitt”, hits a bit different. “Monolitt” is set to drop on Friday, June 19 by way of Peaceville Records.

Mork

“Monolitt” opens with “Under Vekten Av Verden” – a maniacally riffed-out piece of raw Norwegian aggression – purely wicked in nature and volatile on the attitudinal front. Brilliantly segmented yet contrasting passages meld together somehow without seam; creating a uniform but also an unpredictable pattern of sound. And it all just oozes olde Norse charm. Expect Taake, only more accessible, melodic/rhythmic, or even 1349 as I take in the aggression of the first half of “Ødelagt”, or just a little bit of something Avant-garde like Trelldom as I take in its more abstract second half. I’m picking up on some fresh dynamics here as well. The whole album thus far has proven to be an exercise in BM compositional mastery.

So long as more and more Norwegian BM albums like “Monolitt” keep getting the attention they deserve, all will continue to be fruitful within the Norwegian scene, despite my humble opinions on it of course. And so long as projects like Mork continue to set such classy standards as to how true Norwegian Black Metal should sound, then there will be little competition. A contemporary, nuanced take on old-school Norwegian BM, and it couldn’t possibly be more appropriate.

It’s in everything from the telltale twang of the guitar riffs, the authority of the language and it’s in this perfect storm of passion where it all seethes; spewing forth from heart & heritage albums like Taake’s “Nattestid Ser Porten Vid”, Ragnarok’s “Nattferd” and of course this soon-to-be staple in your collection. “Ferdamann” – another riffed-out specimen of true Norwegian BM. Did someone tell our boy here that he can’t riff or something? Ear candy… And always followed up with a nice series of melodies or a cacophonous buildup into something even greater – the sum of it all – a gestalt of true Norwegian Black Metal as constructed by one of Norway’s brilliant artistic minds.

I am now into this project… What a remarkable album! How innovative and yet so fucking Norwegian: there’s brutality but also mood, aggression but also a lukewarm sense of familiarity to it that just hits home. And so here we are but two days away from your being plunged into the world of Norwegian BM like seldom before. Until then…