Morke – To Carry On
Release Date: 10th October 2025
Label: True Cult Records
Bandcamp
Genre: Atmospheric Black Metal
FFO: Agalloch, Panopticon, Obsequiae, Douglas Adams.
Review By: Paul Cairney
To Carry On is the 4th full album from solo black metal act, Morke. I say black metal, but it has been dubbed ‘castle metal’ by some, due to its medieval nature. It is the brainchild of one man, Eric Wing, who has a bit of help from Tanner Anderson (Obsequiae) and drummer CJ Yacoub. Alas, this help doesn’t really save the album.
Straight from the opening riff of ‘Sublymed Respair’, the albums tone is eerily reminiscent of the theme tune to the classic 80s TV show, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Once you have this comparison, you cannot get the thought out of your head. This theme tune is not metal, never mind the very specific and potentially made-up sub-genre of ‘castle metal’.
To be fair, To Carry On features decent melodic black metal riffs, ‘Ashes of Feudalism’ being the best example of a more powerful attack of the strings and the best drumming on the album. Vocally, Wing nails it most of the time, with genuine black metal screeches and howls.
It also doesn’t outstay its welcome – it is under 38 minutes long, which you will be able to tolerate, but only if you don’t listen to that theme tune.
Ultimately disappointing, To Carry On is an apt name. You may have to force yourself to carry on. The only real surprise to the album was that the back cover doesn’t say ‘Don’t Panic’.
(2.5 / 5)
