Morax are a heavy metal band from Norway formed in 2023, releasing the band’s debut EP ‘Rites And Curses’ later the same year and debut full-length album ‘The Amulet’ in 2025.
Shunning the country’s more usual black metal output, Bergen metallers Morax are inspired by such legends of metal as Mercyful Fate, (early) Judas Priest and Dio-era Black Sabbath – the band’s founder, Remi Andre Nygard (Inculter) handles all instruments along with the vocals too! The album contains eight songs across a forty minute run time that explores every corner of heavy metal territory, the one and a half minute effects laden instrumental ‘The Amulet’ building an immense level of tension and anticipation as (album opener proper) ‘Belial Rising’ storms in with blistering pace and off the charts head bang ability! The band are at full tilt here. Every listener, metaller and mosher on the planet frantically rock their heads back and forth to this one the foot to the floor mentality of Morax is absolutely spot on.
A red hot opening salvo, the band light up the airways with the NWOBHM inspired ‘A Thousand Names’, Morax planting one foot firmly on the old school heavy monitor to please the legions of metal traditionalists worldwide with a roaring eighties sounding romp – the albums opening brace full of intensity, power and drive! And clocking in at eight minutes in length, ‘Seven Pierced Hearts’ is by far and away the longest song on offer, featuring all the majesty and elegance of an Iron Maiden long song – the British metallers renowned for their lengthy epics, Morax marching forth with grand poise and purpose, and just a little of the Black Sabbath doom style of metal too! And as ‘Seven Pierced Hearts’ progresses, the band display more of their inspirational legends prowess by oozing a power-driven Judas Priest feel! The opening three songs have shown clearly the influences that drove band founder Nygard to form Morax – a totally different outfit from his other band, Inculter. And with an upsurge in energy, ‘Inverted Church’ is lively and frenetic, giving a huge nod to the early eighties and the bolder sound of bands such as Angel Witch and Venom – the British style of metal the main driver behind the Morax sound.
The intensity of ‘The Amulet’ (the album) since it began has been all-conquering, the band keeping a tight hold on listener’s attentions, no-one going anywhere else right now as the album explodes furiously into life with a supersonic speed surge courtesy of ‘The Snake’. Moving at a pace that’s gonna break the land speed record, ‘The Snake’ is fast paced heavy metal with insane head bang ability, Morax sending every mosh pit around the world into fucking overdrive, with walls and circles of death forming in each and every one! The heaviness of the album is ground-shuddering, nearby buildings crumbling into ruins under the immense force pouring outta ‘The Amulet’ (the album) – the force turned down a notch for ‘Phantom Sleeper’. More mid-paced and mid tempo than everything heard up to this point, ‘Phantom Sleeper’ still packs a thundering punch, with lesser metalheads reaching for painkilling medication to combat the relentless pummelling dished out by the Norwegian metallers – while the diehard among us are standing tall, urging the band for more! And more the band gives, ‘The Descent’ marching in on the crest of a short mellow intro to become a foot stomping fury that’s gonna flatten everything and everyone standing in its way, the album’s finale an unforgiving barrage of near brutal proportions!
Overall, a thunderous romp of old school, traditional metal that’s heavy – very heavy with a sky-high level of head bang ability.
TRACKLIST
The Amulet
Belial Rising
A Thousand Names
Seven Pierced Hearts
Inverted Church
The Snake
Phantom Sleeper
The Descent
Morax: Facebook
Release Year: 2025
Label: High Roller Records
Category: Album
Country: Norway
Reviewed by Iron Mathew for Frenzy Fire and Metal-Roos.
