US black metal scene has always been great, thriving with exciting and interesting bands and projects delivering fantastic records. Morke are hailing from Minnesota and this entity is in fact a brainchild of one Eric Wing. This is Morke´s third full length opus since 2016 and it contains 10 songs. The music of Morke is epic and atmospheric melodic black metal. It has just right amount of aggression where needed, with blast beats, ice cold riffs and fast all out aural attack. But, it also delivers beautiful melancholic melodies, catchy guitar hooks and memorable moments of pure black metal joy reminding me why this is most emotional music there is. Add to that calmer, acoustic almost touchable atmospheric passages and excellent vocals that are neither too screaming nor too understandable, you get perfect black metal album. Songs are a bit longer but never get boring, although this album marks well more than one hour long. My personal favorites: Intrusions, Isolation.

8,5/10

https://morkemn.bandcamp.com/album/we-are-the-river