ANKH TV

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Reimagining a Nordic Classic

Mortemia returns to the realm of melancholic grandeur with a striking reinterpretation of Röyksopp’s 2005 classic What Else Is There?, featuring an evocative guest performance from Zora Cock of Blackbriar. Issued as part of The Pandemic Pandemonium Sessions, the track and its official videoclip explore the song’s surreal core through a symphonic metal lens, balancing atmospheric restraint with cinematic weight.

From Electronic Reverie to Gothic Opulence

Röyksopp’s original is a cool, nocturnal fixture of mid-2000s electronic music, built on hushed synths, an insistent pulse and a dreamlike lyric that hovers between confession and apparition. Mortemia keeps the essence intact, then widens the frame. The arrangement folds in low-tuned guitars, orchestral colors and choral shading, allowing the melody to bloom in a different register. The tension between synthetic origins and organic heft becomes the engine of the cover, honoring the song’s icy poise while deepening its sense of drama.

Vocal Presence: Zora Cock at the Fore

Zora Cock’s delivery centers the performance. Her tone is crystalline yet shaded with a quiet ache, guiding the enigmatic lyric with steady control. She leans into the song’s unanswered questions without overstatement, using clear phrasing in the verses and a subtle lift in the choruses. The result is neither a mimicry of the original vocal nor a departure for its own sake. Instead, she threads a line between spectral and immediate, a quality that suits both the material and Mortemia’s aesthetic.

Arrangement and Instrumentation

Mortemia’s treatment unfolds with measured dynamics. Clean, pulsing electronics nod to the source material, then give way to a firm rhythm section and layered guitars. Orchestral pads and string figures add width, while choral textures appear in selective bursts rather than as constant backdrop. The arrangement keeps a cool center in the verses, reserving weight for the refrains and later swells. This push and pull, between intimacy and impact, becomes the piece’s defining structure.

• Guitars: Tight, mid-gain crunch in the choruses, restrained arpeggios in the verses.
• Electronics: Minimalist pulses support the groove, maintaining a dialogue with the original.
• Orchestration: Cinematic pads and string layers heighten the mood without crowding the vocal.
• Vocals: Lead lines placed close and clear, with discreet harmonies to expand key phrases.
• Dynamics: A controlled build, favoring contour and space over maximalist density.

Lyric Themes, Reframed

Part of What Else Is There?’s enduring allure lies in its elliptical narrative. The lyrics play with presence and perception, orbiting ideas of distance, identity and the uncanny. Mortemia’s darker timbral palette magnifies those undercurrents. The steadied tempo and nocturnal textures frame the questions at the heart of the song, lending them the feeling of a late-night soliloquy rather than a pop refrain. It is a study in atmosphere that privileges mood over resolution.

The Pandemic Pandemonium Sessions in Context

The Pandemic Pandemonium Sessions mark a distinct chapter for Mortemia. Conceived and led by Norwegian composer and multi-instrumentalist Morten Veland, the project pairs his symphonic and gothic metal sensibilities with a rotating cast of guest vocalists. Emerging during the period when in-person collaboration was constrained, the series emphasizes focused arrangements, clear storytelling and vocal-led dynamics. The inclusion of a Röyksopp cover underlines the project’s open architecture, bringing electronic roots into Mortemia’s orchestral framework without losing the band’s core identity.

Production Focus

The recording opts for clarity over sheer saturation. Guitars sit close to the rhythm section, giving the vocal and synth lines room to breathe. Reverb is shaped with intention, contributing to a sense of distance without blurring edges. The mix treats the song as a study in grayscale, where each layer has a defined role and transitions are more about shade than shock. It is a production approach that mirrors the concept: introspective, measured and quietly grand.

The Official Videoclip

The video leans into mood and presence. Performance-centered visuals spotlight Zora Cock’s delivery, with lighting and framing that echo the track’s cool tonal spectrum. Cuts follow the song’s dynamic contour, reserving wider shots and heightened contrast for the choruses. Rather than imposing a literal storyline, the imagery works as visual punctuation for the music’s shifting intensity, an understated complement to the cover’s restrained power.

Why This Cover Works

• Fidelity to the melodic and emotional core of Röyksopp’s original.
• Thoughtful expansion through guitars, orchestration and selective choral color.
• A lead vocal performance that finds nuance in ambiguity.
• Production choices that privilege space, balance and long-form tension.

Final Thoughts

Mortemia’s What Else Is There? featuring Zora Cock is a careful act of translation. It preserves the quiet pulse and ghostly allure that made the song memorable, then refracts it through symphonic metal’s broader palette. The result is not a spectacle, but a sustained mood piece, delivered with craft and intention. As another entry in The Pandemic Pandemonium Sessions, it affirms the project’s premise: collaboration as a way to renew familiar material, and restraint as a route to resonance.

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