Borknagar is known for their melodic vikinginspired metal.
They've had quite a history of bandmembers. New frontsinger in Borknagar is the onemanband Vintersorg from Sweden, whom you might know is also
the main figure in Otyg also from Sweden.
Borknagar 2001
Borknagar, Malicious Records, 1996. Rating: 89
This classic debut from Borknagar is one of those debuts where you start wondering how is it possible to make a debut that is so good?
It is one of those debuts, where you can immediately tell that a star is born. I love it when that happens, 'cause it does not happen very often,
especially not now in the new millenium (writing august 2002). A perfect example also of this phenomenon are the first works of
Satyricon, Darkthrone and Dissection. It's like they tell us, these guys were destined to make our lives more bearable,
and what a shame if these, their obvious
talents were to have never been unfolded. Thank Óðinn for the works of Øystein G. Brun since 1996.
Track 1 Vintervredets Sjelesang "Spiritsong Of The Winteranger" is the best track and I would like to compare the greatness
of this heathen masterpiece with those of some of the songs on Dissection's Storm Of The Light's Bane, it's that good. Garm of
Ulver/Arcturus
screaming his guts out just like on Ulver's Nattens Madrigal and some of the best melodies Øystein has ever produced. A close runnerup for best track is
Dauden "The Death", which is also an epic masterpiece. I actually think this is the best Borknagar album so far (This being written after the release of Empiricism).
Still the quality doesn't hold for the full album, but almost, so it is not all the way up at the same level as Storm Of The Light's Bane.
The cover is in perfect harmony with the spirit, and since it is released on the now departed Malicious Records,
it is almost impossible to get your hands on the original cd, unless you are prepared to pay somewhat more
than your standard recordprice. Now I have finally gotten my hands on this piece of black metal supremacy, so check out the scan of
this excellent cover.
Gryn wrote this review, and the rating is solely based on his oppinion.
The Olden Domain, Century Media, 1997. Rating: 82
More vikingmusic in the same vein as their selftitled debut. This time though there isn't that chaotic a feeling about the black metal parts
anylonger. The concept now is to shave off the pure black metal feeling in parts of the songs and maintain the melodic dream viking atmosphere throughout the whole album. This works very well and is acquired partly through the use of much more synth than on the debut, and there even is a 4 minute long pianotrack called Om Hundrede Aar Er Alting Glemt "In A Hundred Years, Everything Is Forgotten", which is brilliant. Track 1 is called The Eye Of Oden and some consider this to be the best song Borknagar has ever made. I do not agree on this however, since, like I mentioned in the review of the Borknagar-album, Vintervredets Sjelesang is my favorite and has the ferocious berserkertouch to it, that characterized the former album. But of course everyone
is entitled to his own oppinion; it is a very cool track no doubt about that. The title The Eye Of Oden ofcourse refers to the myth about Óðinn, where he gives one of his eyes to Mimir, in exchange for wisdom. Óðinn also hangs himself in the worldtree Yggdrasil in 9 days and 9 nights (9 is a magic number in norse mythology) in exchange for wisdom. Back to the music. Track 2, The Winterway, starts with low volume fast guitars that sounds just like a
winterstorm sweeping down between the mountaintops, which is a very cool intro to the equally cool song. A Tale Of Pagan Tounge should also be emphasized as one of the highlights of the album. To Mount And Rode and Ascension Of Our Fathers ufrotunately are kind of boring and they are the reason why this album is not as good as the debut.
The Olden Domain is however considered a semiclassic album, and at the time Øystein really showed that he was to be reconned with, and displayed his talent
as an unstoppable creative mind, with his heart in the right place and a mission to reclaim our land and our souls in the name of our forefathers.
This is the last album where Garm sings and he does it more in the vein of his works in Arcturus; listen to the last part of the song The Dawn Of The End after the acoustic guitars, and you know what I mean, a very beautiful ending of the album by the way, whereas earlier mentioned, Garm raped raped your ears on Borknagar, just like he did in the album that together with very few others defines how black metal is supposed be expressed. I'm ofcourse refering
to Ulver's Nattens Madrigal, which, like some works of MayheM, is a template for extremity in black metal expression.
Gryn wrote this review and the rating solely represent his oppinion on this album.
The Archaic Course, Century Media, 1998. Rating: Not Rated
Garm was out and Simen Hestnæs, a fairly unknown singer, took over Garm's place. This marked the biggest change in style in Borknagar's line of albums up until today. A thorough review will replace this one some day.
Quintessence, Century Media, 2000. Rating: 85
As with the former albums the mastermind in Borknagar, and he who's behind most of the songwriting, remains to be guitarplayer Øystein G. Brun.
I.C.S Vortex aka Simen Hestnæs has developed his vocals in an amazingly positive new direction since the last album.
All kinds of effects are used to broaden the soundpicture, and it now spans from rough blackmetal melodic screaming to the clearest
beautiful enchanting vocals. Kai Lie has left the band, and thus Vortex had to take over the bassplaying. Asgeir Mickelson
replaced Grim on the drums, and also redrew the Borknagar logo aswell as designed the frontcover. He is also the cofounder of the norwegian magazine
Scream. Jens F. Ryland on guitar aswell, and Lars A. Nedland on synth.
Quintessence, recorded in Peter Tägtgren's Abyss Studios in Sweden,
sets standards for a refreshingly new style in black/viking metal, and adding a somewhat futuristic dreamlike atmosphere
when combining these exceptional vocals with the synths,
Borknagar is ready for the new millenium. Let's just hope that Vintersorg can fill in the place of Vortex. We seriously doubt that.
The only thing we can put a finger on regarding this album, is that at a point in Ruins Of The Future the effects get a bit overexaggerated we think,
when Vortex adds some kind of a shaking effect that makes him sound as if he is drowning. That's
a bit too much of the good stuff, but then again it doesn't mean a thing when looking upon the album as a whole. This qualifies for one of the best releases in 2000,
emphasizing The Presence Is Omnious, Ruins Of The Future and Colossus as masterpieces, together with Revolt,
which is the slow melodic closure, that ends this album in style.
Empiricism, Century Media, 2001. Rating: 80
The Emperor/Borknagar release party was a joke and one video by each band. No performances, no official signing. I just had to say that, 'cause we
paid money for nothing ;).
I can just say, that Borknagar did it again and made an excellent record. Øystein
and the guys, which now includes Vintersorg, who I may add, does just as nice a job as Simen did.
Listen to track Matter & Motion, a pianodominated intro, which actually is composed by Lars A. Nedland, leading
to the brilliant track Soulsphere with very beautiful vocal- and guitarwork, The Stellar Dome and the last track The View Of Everlast,
with the most experimenting vocals of the album,
and let them remind you that Øystein is still the silent king of melodic black metal.
It seems as if Borknagar has settled and are content in their niche of music. As opposed to the last album, which was a bit more chaotic, this is more perfection.
Gryn wrote his oppinions on this album.
News is that Borknagar is done making the new album, speaking october 2003, they just need to record the different sessions.
Jens Rydland has left the band. It should be interesting to again hear what splendour Mr. Brun has come up with.
This classic debut from Borknagar is one of those debuts where you start wondering how is it possible to make a debut that is so good?
It is one of those debuts, where you can immediately tell that a star is born. I love it when that happens, 'cause it does not happen very often,
especially not now in the new millenium (writing august 2002). A perfect example also of this phenomenon are the first works of
Satyricon, Darkthrone and Dissection. It's like they tell us, these guys were destined to make our lives more bearable,
and what a shame if these, their obvious
talents were to have never been unfolded. Thank Óðinn for the works of Øystein G. Brun since 1996.
More vikingmusic in the same vein as their selftitled debut. This time though there isn't that chaotic a feeling about the black metal parts
anylonger. The concept now is to shave off the pure black metal feeling in parts of the songs and maintain the melodic dream viking atmosphere throughout the whole album. This works very well and is acquired partly through the use of much more synth than on the debut, and there even is a 4 minute long pianotrack called Om Hundrede Aar Er Alting Glemt "In A Hundred Years, Everything Is Forgotten", which is brilliant. Track 1 is called The Eye Of Oden and some consider this to be the best song Borknagar has ever made. I do not agree on this however, since, like I mentioned in the review of the Borknagar-album, Vintervredets Sjelesang is my favorite and has the ferocious berserkertouch to it, that characterized the former album. But of course everyone
is entitled to his own oppinion; it is a very cool track no doubt about that. The title The Eye Of Oden ofcourse refers to the myth about Óðinn, where he gives one of his eyes to Mimir, in exchange for wisdom. Óðinn also hangs himself in the worldtree Yggdrasil in 9 days and 9 nights (9 is a magic number in norse mythology) in exchange for wisdom. Back to the music. Track 2, The Winterway, starts with low volume fast guitars that sounds just like a
winterstorm sweeping down between the mountaintops, which is a very cool intro to the equally cool song. A Tale Of Pagan Tounge should also be emphasized as one of the highlights of the album. To Mount And Rode and Ascension Of Our Fathers ufrotunately are kind of boring and they are the reason why this album is not as good as the debut.
The Olden Domain is however considered a semiclassic album, and at the time Øystein really showed that he was to be reconned with, and displayed his talent
as an unstoppable creative mind, with his heart in the right place and a mission to reclaim our land and our souls in the name of our forefathers.
This is the last album where Garm sings and he does it more in the vein of his works in Arcturus; listen to the last part of the song The Dawn Of The End after the acoustic guitars, and you know what I mean, a very beautiful ending of the album by the way, whereas earlier mentioned, Garm raped raped your ears on Borknagar, just like he did in the album that together with very few others defines how black metal is supposed be expressed. I'm ofcourse refering
to Ulver's Nattens Madrigal, which, like some works of MayheM, is a template for extremity in black metal expression.
Garm was out and Simen Hestnæs, a fairly unknown singer, took over Garm's place. This marked the biggest change in style in Borknagar's line of albums up until today. A thorough review will replace this one some day.
As with the former albums the mastermind in Borknagar, and he who's behind most of the songwriting, remains to be guitarplayer Øystein G. Brun.
I.C.S Vortex aka Simen Hestnæs has developed his vocals in an amazingly positive new direction since the last album.
All kinds of effects are used to broaden the soundpicture, and it now spans from rough blackmetal melodic screaming to the clearest
beautiful enchanting vocals. Kai Lie has left the band, and thus Vortex had to take over the bassplaying. Asgeir Mickelson
replaced Grim on the drums, and also redrew the Borknagar logo aswell as designed the frontcover. He is also the cofounder of the norwegian magazine
Scream. Jens F. Ryland on guitar aswell, and Lars A. Nedland on synth.
Quintessence, recorded in Peter Tägtgren's Abyss Studios in Sweden,
sets standards for a refreshingly new style in black/viking metal, and adding a somewhat futuristic dreamlike atmosphere
when combining these exceptional vocals with the synths,
Borknagar is ready for the new millenium. Let's just hope that Vintersorg can fill in the place of Vortex. We seriously doubt that.
The only thing we can put a finger on regarding this album, is that at a point in Ruins Of The Future the effects get a bit overexaggerated we think,
when Vortex adds some kind of a shaking effect that makes him sound as if he is drowning. That's
a bit too much of the good stuff, but then again it doesn't mean a thing when looking upon the album as a whole. This qualifies for one of the best releases in 2000,
emphasizing The Presence Is Omnious, Ruins Of The Future and Colossus as masterpieces, together with Revolt,
which is the slow melodic closure, that ends this album in style.
The Emperor/Borknagar release party was a joke and one video by each band. No performances, no official signing. I just had to say that, 'cause we
paid money for nothing ;).