Review by Dominik on June 19, 2025.

Alright, I'll admit it: I'm a sucker for nostalgia. Sometimes I find myself gazing into the past like a tier-2 rock star in a documentary, fondly remembering the days when black metal bands didn't care about conventions, trends, Spotify algorithms or neatly trimmed beards. Back when recklessness was a virtue and production values were, at best, a rumor.

Mörk Gryning is one of those bands I keep returning to with the irrational hope that they'll somehow outdo their debut, "Tusen År Har Gått...". Now, I know it wasn't exactly a flawless record, but it had heart, atmosphere, and a youthful rage you can't fake. It was raw, fiery, and has somehow remained my point of reference for their entire discography for the past thirty years. So every time a new release shows up, I catch myself hoping for that miracle album—the one that would finally surpass the debut. So here we are with "Fasornas Tid". Is this the one? The elusive masterpiece buried deep in the band's DNA, finally awakened after three decades?

The short answer: no.
The longer answer: still no, but with a few compelling detours.
On the upside, the album still carries that unmistakable Mörk Gryning flavor—those strangely elegant guitar riffs and haunting melodies we've come to associate with the band since the beginning. They can still write captivating songs, and yes, they've grown more mature and refined. The downside? Well, refinement comes at a cost: in this case, it seems to have been paid in raw energy. Whereas maturity tends to flirt with mediocrity when it's not careful, and "Fasornas Tid" contains more than a little fluff—the kind that makes you wonder whether the band felt obligated to make another album, rather than inspired to. There's also a nagging sense that parts of this album were written with one eye on the clock. It's a release that starts strong, finishes fairly well, and sags like a tired mattress in the middle.

Following a yawn-inducing intro (seriously, how many more of these do we need? Especially when it's about as thrilling as a damp foghorn.), "The Seer" kicks things off in classic Mörk Gryning fashion—well-structured, melodic, even a bit "catchy" in a very black metal way. The band does not try to win you over by storming into your auditory passage with sheer brutality. The Swedes opt for more restraint, and even the blasting feels polite. There are clean vocals and synths, but they're handled with enough self-control to avoid slipping into full symphonic cheese. Honestly, at times it's dangerously close to something you could sneak onto the playlist at your dad's 80th birthday party. (Don't. But you could.)

Then comes "Tornet," easily a highlight and arguably one of the two best tracks on the album. It's lean, focused, and dynamic in a way that most of what follows just isn't. The interplay between melody and tempo works effortlessly—no fluff, no filler, just solid, memorable songwriting. The title track is the first tipping point. For a moment, it transports you back to Mörk Gryning's early days—especially in the guitars around the 30-second mark, which sound like they were pulled straight from a '95 rehearsal tape. It's nostalgic, yes, but also the last true standout before we hit the less-than-thrilling middle stretch. At times, "Fasornas Tid" (the song) teeters dangerously close to saccharine symphonic territory—but just manages to keep one foot on the grim, "still acceptable" side of the black metal line. But from there, things begin to wobble.

What follows is a bit of a slog. "Savage Messiah" and "An Ancient Ancestor Of The Autumn Moon" (a title that sounds like it came from a Dungeons & Dragons name generator) drift and drag along with a professional air but leave little behind once they're gone. They neither offend nor impress—like elevator music in a haunted castle. "Black Angel" at least tries something different with its strange clean vocals—though they give the impression that someone accidentally walked into the wrong studio and was too polite to leave. That said, the guitar work at times leans nicely into a heavier, less blackened territory, which is something.

"Barren Paths" is the second tipping point. It's an instrumental, again—because one wasn't enough, apparently. It serves mostly as a divider, separating the album's better final tracks from the forgettable middle. If it weren't for the limp, somewhat confused middle section, "The Serpent's Kiss" would be a clear winner. It picks things back up, even if it feels like a slightly diluted hybrid of Keep of Kalessin and Mörk Gryning. The clean vocals are a little off-key, but it's at least alive. Thankfully, "Det Svarta" redeems things. It's the second real standout and one of the few songs where all elements come together properly. Even the more folkish vocals leading into the chorus work well, and the mid-song slowdown finally feels earned and leads back into a satisfying reprise of aggression. It's energetic, driven, and cohesive. The "Age Of Fire" closes things respectably, bringing enough dynamic diversity to keep the listener from checking the time and reminds us that Mörk Gryning can still deliver when the stars align.

In conclusion, "Fasornas Tid" is a mixed bag. A mature album that occasionally captures the fire of the band's early days but too often loses momentum in its middle stretch. It's neither a triumph nor a disaster—it's that perfectly lukewarm middle ground where experience meets mild artistic fatigue. Thirty years in, that's not a crime. But let's not pretend it doesn't sting a little. I was hoping for something more gripping. Instead, I got something competent, occasionally exciting, and occasionally forgettable.

Rating: 7.4 out of 10, because the album reminds us of the past just enough to miss it, and the present just enough to accept it.

Review by Jeger on November 29, 2024.

Melodic black metal has become something of a lost art. During the days of Dissection and Sacramentum, this particular sub-genre of black metal dominated much of the Scandinavian scene outside of Norway, and even though there are many black metal collectives that play melodically, it's simply not melodic black metal as we once knew it. However, we do have Sweden's Mörk Gryning - a band whose musical journey has taken some twists and turns toward experimentation and progressivism, particularly with their 2003 Pieces Of Primal Expressionism LP, which served as the band's second to last release before their long hiatus. But in 2020, during the plague days of isolation and mass hysteria, Mörk Gryning released what some enthusiasts consider to be their magnum opus in Hinsides Vrede - a palatable return to form and a fine representation of true melodic black metal. On December 13, Mörk Gryning will release Fasornas Tid via Season of Mist.

There is no dark history behind Mörk Gryning: no muders, arsons or suicides, only a staunch reputation of black metal excellence. The music and the talent speak for themselves. During the 90's, despite a landmark record release in their debut, Tusen År Har Gått, which was recorded at the renowned Unisound Studios and engineered by the legendary Dan Swanö, theirs along with many other Swedish band's contributions were simply overshadowed by the likes of Dissection, Marduk and even Dark Funeral back when they were a black metal band… Now, we find ourselves under the dawn of a new album release from Mörk Gryning - Fasornas Tid, and from what I've heard thus far, we're all in for a treat.

I consider 2020's Hinsides Vrede to be a bit more of a contemporary work in comparison to Fasornas Tid. The forthcoming record harkens back to the band's formative years during the age of melodic BM infamy, but with a folkish touch and a streak of modern day dynamics. From intro to closer, an excursion of mythological proportions and a work of sheer compositional brilliance: class, wisdom and adeptness incarnate. Packaged beautifully in noble cover art and production quality standing paramount above all else. All the grandiosity that you would expect from a band like Emperor, but grounded by intrepid riffs and malleable melodic passages that rise and fall like ocean tides cresting over and then crashing upon a concrete yet impossibly intricate rhythmic foundation. The titular track - once again I'm reminded of the aforementioned Emperor as haunting chorales overlay scaling guitar riffs just before Dissection-like tremolo melodies and blast-beats unfold. A true Swedish black metal album through and through: crisp, ethereal and intoxicatingly melodic in the vein of "Far Away From the Sun" (Sacramentum), but aggressively riff-driven in homage to "Storm of the Light's Bane" (Dissection), particularly during the following track, "Before The Crows Have Their Feast", as I'm reminded of legendary Dissection cuts like "Night's Blood" and "Unhallowed".

What I adore most about Fasornas Tid are its mid-tempo'd and martially rhythmic parts - "Savage Messiah" and "Black Angel" - nourishing in their palatability and indicative of a higher understanding of what true Swedish black metal enthusiasts are really looking for in an album. Soloing is another high water mark; each lead is tailor made for every track they belong to. No ten minute long snoozers and no bleeding heart heritage pieces, just a well-balanced, intelligently arranged record that never gets stale, pretentious or overtly gaudy. Ah, just fucking right. The sweet spot hit and in more ways than one.

With Fasornas Tid, Mörk Gryning have set a practically unreachable bar and have released what is, in my opinion, a top-three black metal album of the year recording. Released right at the tail end of what's been another fine year for the genre. What a way to close out the annual! What a brilliant black metal album. I hold Fasornas Tid in the highest regard along with their debut as one of this band's crowning achievements. A testament to the unyielding power of true melodic black metal done properly.

Rating: 10 out of 10