Review by Michael on February 14, 2022.

So here we go with the second EP Nos Prières by French one-man project Prieuré. Again a very appealing artwork invites the listener to a trip into the abysses of French black metal and again you won't be disappointed. No keyboard or acoustic intro is needed, the hateful maelstrom of blood (or is it a dry Bordeaux?) pulls you down and spits you out after almost 22 minutes of disturbing, fast-witching black metal.

It is not quite dissonant music that mastermind Sans-Visage presents though there are some parts that remind me of the well-known French band with the Greek letter in its name but all in all it is quite a unique release. The vocal on Nos Prières is – as it already was on La Foi Des Bourreaux- very distorted and aggressive and the guitars and drums also sometimes go into some punk direction again. What I really like on this EP is the fact that you cannot find some black metal tunes only but also some acoustic guitar parts that give you some space to relax. I guess if there would be just these black metal songs, it would be a very exhausting trip and very hard to follow until the end. The production is quite okay for an independent release; maybe the instruments are a little bit overdriven so that there is some white noise in it but it may be intentional, too. Of course, I want to go into detail for some of the five tracks: The second track 'Sacrifiés' is a really catchy one because of its simple structures and what I really like in it are the female vocals that somewhat create a slight ghastly atmosphere. 'Nos Prièrs', the opener, however is a really fast and uncompromising black metal track with some very interesting breaks that will convince every old school black metal fan. 'Amérique' starts as a very calm acoustic guitar driven track that creates nevertheless a quite uncomfortable atmosphere. And after about 1:30 minutes this quite ugly caterpillar turns into a skull hawk moth, to be metaphorical.

I would state that Prieuré went the next logical step with this album. Sans-Visage did little bit more experimental stuff and quite an interesting approach of songwriting. May the first full-length come soon!

Rating: 8 out of 10 Mouton-Cadet

Review by Jack on December 11, 2001.

On the promotional CD I received courtesy of No Fashion Records, Mork Gryning’s latest album “Maelstrom Chaos” is stated as being; ‘one of the most brutal and violent black metal releases ever’. This opening statement above the track listing conjured immediate thoughts of cynical optimism. Fortunately for all parties concerned this statement could not be further from the truth. “Maelstrom Chaos” is perhaps one of the most pure and mature black metal albums I have experienced this year.

Mork Gryning with this latest album capture the same sort of black metal originality and innovation that saw new black metal juggernaughts Susperia receive rave reviews for their debut masterpiece. I stupidly had “Maelstrom Chaos” pinned down as a chaotic black metal release in the vein of Belphegor or another variation of black/death hybrid band. Boy was I glad to be proved wrong!

There are segments of “Maelstrom Chaos” that seem surreal and have one thinking; ‘Eh? What is this? This is bloody good black metal!’ Yet it isn’t really strict black metal and Mork Gryning’s tunes deviate quite heavily from the standard blandness some may associate with black metal. Mork Gryning is stark contrast are the complete opposite of bland, instead invoking enjoyment and an atmosphere that is enjoyable and not of ‘brutality and violence’. “Maelstrom Chaos” not being ‘brutal and violent’ and instead possessing the fun filled factors that Finntroll and Solefald utilize for their experiments in black metal is what makes this record such a winner.

‘The Darkness Within’ contains one of the best guitar and drum signatures thus heard by me on a black metal record and blows anything Dimmu Borgir wrote on “Puritanical Euphoric Misanthropia” out of the water. Yes, it is that good. As is “Maelstrom Chaos”. ‘Bloodspring Mirage’ also deserves special mention as one of the better instrumental tracks this year.

Incorporating anything and everything from all genres of metal, thrash, death, black, melancholic passages and slight hints of Viking metal magnificence, “Maelstrom Chaos” is certainly an eye-opener for me and I could not be more happy with this record, and urge all fans of metal to remove themselves from their computers and run to your local record dealer and demand a copy of it. You will not regret it.

Bottom Line: Where the hell did Mork Gryning spring forth from? “Maelstrom Chaos” is a black album of mammoth proportions and shaping up to be one of my favorites towards the end of the year.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Originality: 8
Musicianship: 8
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 9
Overall: 9

Rating: 8.6 out of 10