One of the foremost names in Swedish Black Metal, Stockholm’s Mörk Gryning is back with their seventh full-length studio release, the second since the band’s reactivation in 2016. Founded by multi-instrumentalists Goth Gorgon (aka Jonas Berndt) and Draakh Kimera (aka Peter Nagy-Eklöf) back in 1993, Gorgon has been at the heart of every record since the very beginning with Kimera only absent for 2005’s self-titled, seemingly swansong release.
On the latest album Fasornas Tid (Season of Mist), Gorgon and Kimera are rejoined by drummer Carl-Gustaf Bäckström (aka C-G) and keyboard player Johan Larsson (aka Aeon) as well as recruiting six-stringer Stefan Lundgren in 2022. After the lightly strummed “Intro,” quiet acoustics segue into the distortion-fuelled drama of “The Seer.” An onrushing wall of fast-picked riffs and thunderous drums, Kimera’s roars are nothing short of savage, the song reaching its zenith during its mid-paced middle section, the insistent opener brimming with quality clean vocals and adeptly played guitar solos.
Tremolo picking and stabs of discordant guitars clash on the moody “Tornet” (or “The Tower” in English), the song’s blackened melodies hinting at prime Satyricon and featuring a guest appearance by Christian Jönsson Baad (aka C from fellow Swedes Avslut). Translated to “The Time of Phases”, the dynamic title track boasts classic Black Metal riffing and keyboards that send you back in time to the mid-nineties.
On “Before The Crows Have Their Feast,” Kimera’s vocals switch between ragged rasps and impressive mid-range cleans while the magnificent “Savage Messiah” and “The Serpent’s Kiss” both possess a strong, mid-paced groove and instantly memorable Viking metal choruses. The wonderfully alliterative “An Ancient Ancestor Of The Autumn Moon” is an irresistible blast of old-school Black Metal with a second appearance from Christian Jönsson Baad before the uptempo “Black Angel” hits you with more great vocal melodies, a slow rhythmic bridge section, and yet another exciting and articulate guitar solo.
Gorgon takes the lead vocal duties on “Det Svarta” (“The Black”), another song with an enthralling middle eight and an electrifying guitar solo while ‘Barren Paths’ is a gently picked acoustic interlude, the final cut “Age Of Fire” closing the album in style by combining lightning-fast pace, an urgent groove and powerful atmospherics.
Masterful and savage, everything about Fasornas Tid reeks of class, confidence, and experience. Mörk Gryning know exactly what they want and exactly how to deliver it as surging riffs, blackened melodies, and atmospheric keyboards all combine to create one of the band’s finest records to date.
Buy the album here:
https://orcd.co/morkgryningfasornastid
8 / 10
GARY ALCOCK
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