Morke – To Carry On Review

One of my favorite bits in the game Portal 2 comes near the very beginning, when the player is commanded to go stand in front of a piece of art. It’s an okay piece, depicting a lovely mountain overlooking a lakeside cabin where everything looks peaceful, somewhat colorful, and safe. By the end of our momentary study, we are assured we should now feel “mentally invigorated.” Such mental vim and vigor is sought out in more artistic albums, which don’t seek to liquify teeth as much as transport us to other realms and times, whether it be brimming with life and motion or a well-executed snapshot of a mood. Morke, a project spearheaded by sole member Eric Wing, have arrived with self-described “Atmospheric Castle Metal” on display for their fourth album To Carry On, and the question is, will you indeed keep it moving after indulging in its color schemes, or allow yourself to get swept away to times long forgotten?

On first listen, all I could think was “wow, this sounds exactly like Obsequiae.” Turns out my ears are very astute, as Tanner Anderson is credited in the promo as making contributions to the album. The precise degree of his participation isn’t specified, but if you’re a sucker for his band, then there’s plenty for you to feast your ears on here. To Carry On tries its hand at singing its own Palms of Sorrowed Kings while taking a much more streamlined and basic approach. Trimming down the more raw production of previous efforts, Morke spread out the tonal palette to allow leads, leads, and more leads (“Falling Leaves”, “Sublymed Respair”) to carry the bulk of the presentation, with enough clarity in the production for some tasty bass lines (“Ashes of Fuedalism”) to make their presence known.

Much like individual brush strokes coalesce into one whole, To Carry On places pretty much all its emphasis on atmosphere. The bulk of the album is mid-paced, with leads relaxing and guitar tones colorful. The drums are well placed as far as occasional double bass drops go to remind you that this is, in fact, still a metal album, even as the tempo and general vibe never approach anything truly heavy. The uniformity of the tonal palate is the larger philosophical struggle Morke presents: this painting of a flowers-and-fog-drenched castle is well crafted, but there are precious few touches that truly stand out. Mid-album tracks “Coup D’oeil” and “Viola Odorata” flow nicely together with some riffs of genuine memorability. However, bookending the album come tracks which end up starting to sound self-plagiarizing, with similar intervals and scales utilized, which never become boring, unto themselves, but do become familiar far too quickly.

Ultimately, the question of listener enjoyment will come down to expectations. To Carry On doesn’t have the vibrancy and depth of Summoning or the kinetic enthusiasm of Obsequiae. Those bands are atmospheric masters who manage to invoke life into their riffs, the latter with their energy and the former with their creative use of other instruments. What Morke offers up instead is a collection of tracks which play toward the greater whole, where the listener is enveloped in an atmospheric sense without necessarily latching on to any particular highs, lows, or fist-pumping “hell yeah” inducing moments one typically looks for. In fact, other than the aforementioned two-track run in the middle, To Carry On is relatively devoid of highs and lows, instead leaning in on complete and tonal consistency, for better and worse.

This makes administering an appropriate score more challenging than I’d expected. I have been fortunate enough to visit my share of art museums over the years, and no great painting can be appreciated at a mere glance. Color schemes, stroke methods, and materials used all warrant consideration when enjoying the greater whole of the painting before us. And yet, part of me insists that I don’t listen to albums for the same reason I look at paintings, and I feel that holds To Carry On back. If you are looking to get mentally swept up into the moods of knights and serfdom, mentally add an extra half point for yourself and hear an enthusiastic endorsement on the potency and excellence that the atmosphere summoned has to offer. For my own part, I can’t help but hope for more vibrancy and less “still life” going forward. Until then, you will hear a buzzer. When you hear the buzzer, you may stare at the art…

Score: 2.5/5.0
DR: 7 | Format Reviewed: 320 kbps mp3
Label: True Cult Records |
Website: Album Bandcamp
Releases Worldwide: October 10th, 2025