From the EPK: MORAX from Bergen in Norway is the brainchild of Remi A. Nygård, who is handling all the instruments himself and writes all the songs. He has been playing in various bands and projects for quite some time, the most important being the thrash metal band INCULTER, which has been active for more than ten years now. Well, actually, INCULTER is seen as Blackened Thrash Metal. So, very different from MORAX where he plays Heavy Metal. Nothing more, nothing less. “The Amulet” is actually the debut album for MORAX, a musical project that started in 2023. That year saw an EP emerge, “Rites And Curses”. I haven’t heard that bone yet, but after listening to “The Amulet” I feel I need to.

Because although the musical style of MORAX is Heavy Metal, he does give it a lot of extra bits, making listening to “The Amulet” rather interesting. Some of it Progressive, some of it will be classified as Stoner Metal, but it all is in aid of getting the best out of the music on offer. The fact that HIGH ROLLER RECORDS have signed this man should tell you enough, as they are very peculiar about who they sign. Which is not the same as having it right, I might add, but that is a matter of personal taste. I can’t help but like what “The Amulet” is throwing at me. The songs have a certain aura, one of those you get when you are listening to a class act. So, the question is whether I feel that MORAX is just that. Well, not yet, but he might well become one, as the songs are all of a rather high standard, reaching up to outstanding.

I have racked my brain about which bands you can compare him to, and there are enough, but I will have to mention that comes to mind all through the album, which is DIAMOND HEAD. You will regularly feel that that is who you are listening to, and as far as I’m concerned that is a huge endorsement. But please don’t compare the two, as MORAX has a very different feel, a lot darker. Just listen to “Seven Pierced Hearts” and tell me it isn’t a quality mash up between “Sign Of The Southern Cross” and “Heaven And Hell”. Yes, you guessed it, the DIO era BLACK SABBATH songs. For me this is eight minutes of pure bliss. The rest of the influences are a lot more subtle, but this song is the one that rises above the rest. And as the other songs are good as well, I have to say that with “The Amulet” we have a very positive introduction to MORAX.