Mörkekraft joins global Kyuss tribute with “Writhe”
Mörkekraft joins a global lineup of 20 bands on Spaceship Landing: A Tribute to Kyuss, delivering a dark and powerful version of the 1992 classic “Writhe.”
October 31, 2025
In April 2025, we received an unexpected email that would take us straight into the heart of desert rock history. Out of the blue, Witching Buzz – an underground collective known for their passion for heavy, fuzzy music – invited us to take part in Spaceship Landing: A Tribute to Kyuss.
The project brought together 20 bands from across the world to pay homage to Kyuss – the band that defined the sound of desert and stoner rock.
A tribute to the architects of desert rock
For anyone into heavy music, Kyuss needs little introduction. Emerging from the Californian desert in the late 1980s, they laid the foundation for what would become stoner rock — a fusion of Sabbath-weighted riffs, hypnotic grooves, and the open-sky vastness of the desert.
Their albums Blues for the Red Sun (1992) and Welcome to Sky Valley (1994) didn’t just influence a scene; they created one. Bands like Queens of the Stone Age, Truckfighters, and countless others have since drawn from that same low-end sunbaked energy.
The invitation
On April 29, 2025, we got an email titled “Spaceship Landing: A Tribute to KYUSS.”
It was simple, direct, and intriguing. Only 20 slots available. Each band had to choose a song that wasn’t already taken and deliver a mixed and mastered version by August.
We didn’t know Witching Buzz personally and weren’t sure how they’d even discovered us, but the idea was too good to ignore. Within 24 hours, we replied with our pick: “Writhe”, from Kyuss’ legendary Blues for the Red Sun (1992).
An hour later, we got confirmation — the slot was ours.
Studio weekend: from chaos to clarity
The timing couldn’t have been tighter. We were already set to record new original material at Bridge Burner Recording with Ørjan Kristoffersen Lund in late May 2025.
Prepping five original songs was ambitious enough — we hadn’t even rehearsed Writhe together as a band. When we hit the studio, the plan was to focus on our own material. But by the end of the first day, we’d laid down drum tracks for all five new songs. That’s when we looked at each other and said: “Let’s do Writhe too.”
There was just one small problem:
- Böne (drums) had never actually played the song.
- The original Kyuss version doesn’t use a click track — and we needed one for later overdubs.
Ørjan, being the wizard he is, built a tempo map by hand, syncing the entire original track to a steady tempo. It took him about an hour, and we were all surprised at how much the Kyuss version fluctuated — beautifully human, but impossible to replicate live without a guide.
Then came the real surprise: Böne nailed the entire drum track on the first take. Six drum tracks in a single day — including a Kyuss cover — is no small feat.
Finishing the track
Back home, Roger recorded bass, while Tommy tracked guitars and vocals separately in their home setups. The stems were then sent to Ørjan for mixing, alongside our other new material.
Finally, the track was mastered by Steven Grant Bishop — the same mastering engineer behind our upcoming releases.
Our version stays true to the original spirit but adds a denser, more compact sound — less open desert, more storm over dark mountains. It’s unmistakably Mörkekraft.
Spaceship Landing: A global tribute
Spaceship Landing: A Tribute to Kyuss gathers 20 bands from around the world — from Italy and Finland to Mexico, Australia, and Norway. Each track reimagines Kyuss through a different lens of fuzz, groove, and distortion.
Tracklist – Spaceship Landing: A Tribute to Kyuss
- Amammoth (AUS) – Son of a Bitch
- Sonic Wolves (ITA) – Thumb
- Rhino (ITA) – Green Machine
- Gurnslinger (JER) – Molten Universe
- Void Cruiser (FIN) – 50 Million Year Trip (Downside Up)
- Rainbow Bridge (ITA) – Apothecaries’ Weight
- King Howl (ITA) – Freedom Run
- Mörkekraft (NOR) – Writhe
- Fuzz Evil (USA) – Supa Scoopa and Mighty Scoop
- 3 Wheeler Band (MEX) – 100°
- DoctoR DooM (FRA) – Space Cadet
- Poste 942 (FRA) – Demon Cleaner
- ISAAK (ITA) – Odyssey
- Folwark (ITA) – Whitewater
- Abel Blood (USA) – Caterpillar March
- Epic Down (GER) – Hurricane
- Loose Sutures (ITA) – One Inch Man
- Wet Cactus (SPA) – Phototropic
- Wolfnaut (NOR) – El Rodeo
- Mercure (FRA) – Size Queen
Proud to be part of the desert legacy
It feels genuinely special to be part of this release — both because Kyuss shaped much of the music we love, and because Witching Buzz has done an incredible job organizing and promoting this global effort.
Every band on the compilation delivered killer versions, and the record stands as a powerful celebration of the raw, timeless energy that Kyuss unleashed more than three decades ago.
For us, Writhe became a project of instinct and momentum — recorded in the middle of a packed studio weekend, finished piece by piece from our own homes, and finally brought to life by Ørjan Kristoffersen Lund and Steven Grant Bishop. What started as a spontaneous idea turned into something we’re truly proud of — a track that bridges our own sound with the origins of desert rock itself.
Watch “Writhe” come to life
Listen to the full tribute:
🔗 Spaceship Landing: A Tribute to Kyuss on Spotify
🔗 Witching Buzz official site
🔗 Mörkekraft – Writhe (Kyuss cover)
