Album Review: Morke - To Carry On
Album Review
Artist: Morke
Release Date: October, 10 2025
Score 8/10
Review by Rick Eaglestone
For those who've followed Morke's trajectory from the
atmospheric black metal leanings of We Are The River to the more overt
medieval flourishes introduced on last year's Forged in Steel and Love
EP, To Carry On represents the full realisation of a vision that's been
crystallising beautifully.
Wing has clearly been studying at the altar of fellow
Minnesotans Obsequiae, and the influence is both obvious and welcome. But what
prevents To Carry On from being mere worship is the deeply personal
thread that runs through these compositions. Where Obsequiae often feels like a
historical re-enactment, Morke's approach is more intimate, weaving themes of
personal growth, triumph, and love into the tapestry of blast beats and
Renaissance-fair instrumentation. It's black metal, certainly, but it's black
metal that's left the forest for the castle courtyard, and it's all the better
for it.
The production here strikes that perfect balance between
clarity and rawness. The guitars maintain their bite—essential for any black
metal worth its corpse paint—while allowing the medieval instruments to breathe
and occupy their own sonic space. There's a warmth here that you don't often
find in the genre, a sense that these songs were crafted with genuine affection
rather than merely executed with technical precision. Wing handles all the
instruments himself, and you can feel the singular vision guiding every note,
every transition, every atmospheric swell.
What's particularly striking is how To Carry On
manages to feel both epic and approachable. These aren't ten-minute sprawling
compositions that demand you cancel your afternoon plans, but nor are they
disposable three-minute blasts. Wing understands pacing, knows when to let a
melody breathe, when to unleash a flurry of blast beats, and when to pull back
into more contemplative territories. It's the work of someone who's not just
technically proficient but genuinely understands songwriting.
The medieval elements never feel like gimmickry, which is
perhaps the album's greatest achievement. These aren't just black metal songs
with some lute randomly thrown in for atmospheric window dressing. Instead, the
classical instrumentation is woven into the fabric of the compositions,
creating textures that feel organic rather than forced. There's a genuine sense
of storytelling here, of journeys taken and battles fought—both external and
internal.
Vocally, Wing delivers precisely what the material demands.
The harsh vocals carry that necessary bite and desperation, but they're
deployed thoughtfully rather than relentlessly. There's space in these songs,
room for the music to speak without constant vocal accompaniment, and when Wing
does unleash his voice, it feels purposeful rather than obligatory.
The album title itself—To Carry On—feels significant
in the context of Wing's journey with this project. There's a sense of
perseverance here, of continuing to refine and develop a sound despite
operating in a relatively niche corner of an already niche genre. And that
perseverance has paid dividends. To Carry On is the sound of an artist
fully comfortable in their own skin, no longer finding their voice but using it
with confidence and clarity.
The record features guest contributions from Tanner
Anderson (Obsequiae) and drummer CJ Yacoub, further
expanding Morke’s majestic yet ferocious soundscape
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