If Borknagar need any introduction then you definitely need to educate yourself by exploring their back catalogue. Coming from the same school of Progressive Black Metal as Arcturus, Enslaved, and Ulver the band in the mid 90’s really helped the genre to transcend its murder and arson stained image. Sixteen years after the band’s inception, a trail of classic records, and a “who’s who” of ex-band members Borknagar return on a new label, with a re-adjusted lineup, and more importantly a new album.
What’s always astounded me about this band is how they never seem to top a record. Rather they just continually think outside of the box. Having initially got into the band via The Archaic Course featuring ICS Vortex (ex Arcturus, Dimmu Borgir) on vocals I thought that would be their high watermark, until hearing Quintessence. Even 2006’s acoustic, “back to basics” Origin was a shot out of leftfield which paid off. But with a history like that, a new beginning throws up new challenges and high expectations.
Track one ‘Havoc’ starts off reminiscent of the aforementioned Origin before the guitars get a little heavier and a strong marching drum beat permeates the mix - then we get the familiar progressive BM we were looking for. ‘Reason’ breaks out some of those 70’s prog keyboard sounds for a track that is for the most part from the same blueprint as its predecessor save for the paired down part in the middle rather than at the end. ‘The Stir of the Seasons’ is a rather haunting song that could be befitting of a band like Anathema, and a really strong effort even by Borknagar’s standards. ‘For a Thousand Years to Come’ gets a little dirtier, turning the distortion up on the guitars for a more animated track for the live circuit.
‘Abrasion Tide’, while it is a solid track from a technical standpoint still feels a little like they’ve rehashed the formula from the first two tracks on the album - not that that makes it a bad song, just not as easy to get into at seven minutes long. ‘Flesh Flower’ on the other hand is a funky track with what feels initially like folk vocals before turning up the metal credentials to give it back bone. The penultimate track ‘Worldwide’ harks back to the band’s Arcturus connections with some of the most blatant Black Metal vocals but with a stronger emphasis on a rockier sound. The album closes with ‘My Domain’ which is a suitably big track to round the album off and leaving me on the whole satisfied.
Borknagar have done well. They’ve thoroughly closed the last chapter of their career and started a new with possibly the strongest line-up in their history. The album itself is assertive if sometimes a little repetitive. But it has once again got me wondering where the band will go from here. Job done.
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