By Andrew Bansal
Throughout their career, Norwegian avant-garde extreme metal band Borknagar have constantly ventured into musical territories far beyond traditional black metal. But, unlike in the case of most other bands where the fans expect a certain kind of sound from them, it’s Borknagar’s experimentation which has actually impressed more and more people over the past 16 years, and in my opinion, that’s the reason for the band’s ever-growing fan-following. After releasing a fully acoustic album “Origin” in 2006, they went back to their black metal roots with the subsequent release “Universal”, even though it had a strong element of complexity as well. Now, the band is ready to release the follow-up album “Urd”, which is their ninth studio album overall. There has been one line-up change since the previous release, a significant one at that. This album sees the return of ICS Vortex as he resumes bass and clean vocal duties for the band. I think this has made a huge difference to the band’s sound, and fans will feel that straightaway when they listen to this album. As for the music, if you were under the impression that Borknagar had already done it all on their previous eight albums and couldn’t possibly come up with anything that would take you by surprise, you guessed wrong.
It’s a very dynamic album, as is evident from the outset with tracks like “Epochalypse” and “Roots”, tracks that are very progressive in style, not only boasting of multiple changes of speed, but also showcase some brilliant guitar arrangements. From these, the album moves on to the much slower “The Beauty Of Dead Cities”, further exemplifying the power of the clean vocals, while the instrumental track “The Plains Of Memories” is a masterpiece in itself, and truly worthy of its position as the centerpiece of the album. “The Winter Eclipse”, the longest track on the album, is perhaps the only one on which you’d find an element of black metal. Other than that, “Mount Regency” and “Frostrite” follow the progressive nature of the first couple of tunes, and “In A Deeper World” gives it a spacey ending. But my favorite track on the album is “The Earthling”, an extremely well-rounded piece of music that builds up beautifully, features both the harsh and clean vocals equally, and presents all the elements that decorate this amazing album.
It’s clear from this album that Øystein G. Brun and his band mates are at the peak of their musicianship, and it will be a challenge for them to overcome this peak on the next album. But as for now, the fans will feel a great sense of enjoyment in listening to “Urd”, an album that’s very different from the previous eight, but certainly does not alienate any of the fans. It still sounds very much like a Borknagar recording. As I mentioned earlier, the clean vocals and rich guitar sound are its main strengths, but keyboardist Lars Nedland and the now-departed drummer David Kinkade have also done a great job.
In terms of the overall vibe, it’s dark, mellow and somber, but certain portions of the album also have a touch of psychedelia to it. The album cover artwork is as amazing as the music itself, and in many ways, it perfectly represents this album. It’s complex, detailed, multi-dimensional, multi-layered and grandiose, much like the music on “Urd”.
Borknagar’s “Urd” will prove to be another successful step in their already stellar musical journey. A compelling effort.
Rating: 9/10
Related: Øystein G. Brun interview
Track Listing:
1. Epochalypse (6:08)
2. Roots (5:55)
3. The Beauty Of Dead Cities (4:15)
4. The Earthling (6:51)
5. The Plains Of Memories (4:27)
6. Mount Regency (6:08)
7. Frostrite (4:50)
8. The Winter Eclipse (8:45)
9. In A Deeper World (5:42)
Record Label: Century Media
Release Dates:
March 26th 2012 (Europe)
March 27th 2012 (North America)
Links:
Official Website
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