Reverence Productions

Check out some old covers MØRKE made some years back.

Mørke - Evil/Black Magic COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THESE SONGS!This is intended for non profitAll copyright and profit goes to Mercyful Fate and Slayer

Email interview with Bardou of MØRKE

I: First of all,where did the name Mørke come from?

Bardou: I wanted something similar to Burzum without it being linked to Burzum if that makes sense. I got the actual name "Mørke" from the fantastic album the Isengard album Høstmørke. For those wondering, "Mørke" is Norwegian for Darkness.

Everyone reading this should definitely check out Høstmørke, it’s a great album. Now, the name Bardou where did that originate?

B: Bardou is an Old English term meaning Axe Welding Wolf. I wanted a name that represented my Native American heritage as well as my spirit animal, which is the wolf. That actually brings me back to the previous question, Bardou was the original name before I changed it to Mørke, however, I didn't want to abandon that name all together, so I kept it as my pseudonym, my alter ego you might say.

I: You’ve had Morke for quite a while, when did the band start?

B: The "band" was created in June 2017. Funny enough, I actually recorded my very first track entitled LIFE IS GONE a day after I graduated high school. I knew I loved Black Metal music and I wanted to play it, so I had a spark and just went for it.

I: I heard there was some struggles with creativity, life and finding motivation once again, what happened from then to now?

B: I actually lost interest in playing Black Metal music, but during that time, I was also in my brother's band as their vocalist. After my brother had passed, my drive for playing music went down. In 2021, I became a dad to my son. In 2023, my daughter was born. Coming home with a newborn baby and having a toddler, that took up a lot of my time. After a while, my drive for music was slowly coming back, but not for black metal. I actually had a bit of a Death Metal virus where all I was listening to was death metal and I was actually starting to play it. Eventually, I started to miss black metal. I ended up going back to the bands that originally influenced me, which was Mayhem, Darkthone, Burzum, Isengard, Taake, Dark Funeral, Morbid and Gorgoroth. Also, the bands Mordor and Skolus also inspired me. Also, I had something in me that I needed to get out and I realized that I can fully get it out in Black Metal music.

I: How did you meet Jak Marvella?

B: I believe in met Jak through a black metal Facebook group. I actually believe we First interacted with Facebook comments on a post about Immortal. We ended up messaging each other and talking and we found out we loved alot of the same bands, we also found out that we both loved Marilyn Manson.

What are the top 3 influences for Mørke?
B: I'll stick to music. #1: Mayhem especially Live In Leipzig and De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. Those albums are a huge influence on me. Dead's vocals on Live In Leipzig was a huge influence on me as a vocalist. #2: Darkthone. Do I have to say anything else? They're the definition of True Norwegian Black Metal. A Blaze In The Northern Sky, Under A Funeral Moon(especially Nocturno Culto's vocals on that record), of course the iconic Transilvanian Hunger and Panzerfaust. Even when I was trying to learn Death Metal, Soulside Journey was an influence. #3: Burzum. The riffs, the bass, drums and Count Grishnackh's vocals on Burzum, Aske, Det Som Engang Var, Hvis lyset tar oss and Filosofem, just masterpieces in black metal if you ask me

I: So, with all that’s happened, with the sudden fire reignited, what’s the future for Morke?

B: I'm currently working on new material. It's still in the ideal stage right now. I have some of the music and lyrics pretty much lined out, but not 100%

I: What about the upcoming demo?

Manifestation Of The Essence is a tribute album to Burzum. Originally recorded in 2018. I wanted to make a tribute album to one of the bands that influenced me, but also make it my own. I certainly don't sound like Count Grishnackh vocally, I didn't try to. Jak is actually remastering it and releasing it.

We’re happy to have Bardou and Morke on the team. Manifestation Of The Essence will be making its return in the coming weeks. Be sure to go like Morke’s page to keep up to date with new music.