I was out driving this afternoon between record stores trying to find something, and I was travelling in snow for the first time since summer mercilessly ended like two weeks ago. It struck me that it is the perfect time for black metal again, hardly a novel idea but one that still plays out for me every year when the temperatures drop.

Black metal vets Mörk Gryning know how to strike when the iron is … hot? Hey, an iron can get hot in winter! The band storms back with “Fasornas Tid,” their thunderous, infectious seventh record that is perfect partner for battling the elements. Over 12 tracks and 44  minutes, the band—vocalist/guitarist Draakh Kimera, guitarist/vocalist S-L, bassist/vocalist
Goth Gorgon (drummer C-G and keyboardist/vocalist Aeon round out the live version of the band)—lathers you with massive riffs, a total gallop of adventure, and black metal power that drives back to the subgenre’s formative years with an unstoppable spirit.

“Intro” opens in acoustics before the power kicks in, the metallic wave on the rise, washing into “The Seer” that’s gnarly right as it starts. Howls sicken as riffs burst, animalistic power rampaging, clean singing pushing in and adding a different texture. Grimness returns as the growls intensify, amplifying its catchiness before spiraling out. ”Tornet” opens with guitar smoke, vicious snarls angling into black metal heat. The drama continues to storm harder, spirits flooding as guitars soar, coming to a crashing end. The title track has guitars lighting up, growls stretching as spirited darkness rolls in like clouds. The pace races as the tempo presses with force, the explosions making the ground quake. “Before the Crows Have Their Feast” attacks with the bass driving, singing bellowing, the growls reverberating through your skeleton. The pace halts as keys plink, the pace pummeling as blood races through your veins, guitars catching fire, energetic gusts lapping like lava. “Savage Messiah” opens with the drums rousing, darkness thickening, creaky howls leading into a sung chorus, giving it a power metal feel. Synth spills as things get monstrous and colorful, the chorus sweeping back as the remnants burn away.

“An Ancient Ancestor Of The Autumn Moon” begins with riffs spilling, the synth melting, and the screams surging, crunching bone that lies underneath. The playing spirals as speaking sits underneath the chaos, blending into a generous fog and deteriorating slowly. “Black Angel” has charred guitars and howls buckling. A pathway burns and leads into harmonized singing, not exactly a primary black metal trait, as the emotional rust blows off, leads flooding as the power continues to mount. “Barren Paths” is a quick, ominous instrumental where shadows fall slowly, darkening the roads for “The Serpent’s Kiss” that has driving momentum right off the bat. Speed gasps as fiery howls snarl, guitars igniting before the chorus infects. Keys rain down as the guitars bleed, howls savaging before a final tornadic thrust. “Det Svarta” is raw and gutting, spirited singing storming, guitars stinging over a galloping pace. The chorus runs back, the rest of the band responds with “woah-oh” calls, and the final punches blacken eyes. Closer “Age of Fire” splatters, shrieks crushing, a punchy tempo blasting into a numbing pace, the explosions gnawing on bones. A brief calm leads into murmuring guitars as melodies unload, and a majestic adventure lands in a mountain of ash.

Mörk Gryning sound as alive and colorful as ever on “Fasornas Tid,” a blast of alluring black metal that electrifies your brain in the best way possible. After more than 30 years as a devastating force and seven records now, the band still has fire in their bellies and a thirst for making imaginations soar. This is blistering and fun, an energetic surge into the most immersive sections of black metal that keeps hearts ablaze.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/morkgryningband/

To buy the album (North America), go here: https://shopusa.season-of-mist.com/

Or here (International): https://shop.season-of-mist.com/

For more on the label, go here: https://www.season-of-mist.com/