How Borknagar have acquired themselves a steady reputation over the years as a Viking metal band with a progressive, cosmic and melodic twist. There’s a kind of ‘super group’ element about them, with representatives of Vintersorg, Dimmu Borgir, Solefald, Carpathian Forest and others among their number. This is one group of talented and creative musicians. My first encounter with them was a track called ‘Oceans Rise’ off the 1998 ‘Archaic Course’. Sweeping and epic without the need for fury, the track ends with a magnificent acoustic passage and disappointingly dies instead of reaching the promised heights. I continued to buy Borknagar’s albums and have always enjoyed their albums but at the same time I have always felt there is something massive and mind-blowing around the corner. So let’s see about the latest opus ‘Urd’.
Fast, hard and epic is how it starts. Given what Borknagar do, it was no surprise that ‘Epochalypse’ has a Viking folk feel. It’s kind of 90s / 00s retro. The track breaks into melodic folk, then mixes with straight heavy metal. With the movement changes the mood. It’s not earth-shattering but it’s smooth. Each track on ‘Urd’ has its own shape. ‘Roots’ comprises a series of darkwave growls accompanied by an engaging and heart-rending riff. Triggering drums add a further layer. This is a blend of complex musical statements. It’s not so heavy. A mellow guitar section is followed by heroic singing. There is direction but I wonder if there was just too much for one 6 minute track.
This album does not do lightweight chunks and I was unable to find any purpose in ‘The Beauty of Dead Cities’. This is a kind of Viking / Cosmic epic fantasy with 70s style retro keyboard enhancements. I didn’t rate it as a great song either instrumentally or atmospherically. ‘The Earthling’ is slower and more reflective. It is steady and deliberate, with growls and melody, like Trail of Tears say, but it drives on or plods on, depending on your point of view. The insistently dark atmosphere is impressive. I realised there hadn’t been anything in the first half of ‘Urd’ that I really liked but ‘The Plains of Memories’ does redress the balance. Melancholic strings now combine with acoustic playing to re-define the atmosphere. It’s deep. The focus is on the delicate rhythms. I realised it’s better without the vocals. My bewilderment returned with ‘MountRegency’, another track of many elements. The tension heightens and we hear the strains of an epic battle. The drumming is fierce and the growls have intent. It all leads to an epic and folksy chorus. Sinister darkness runs through the back of this track. The retro organ races away. For all the atmospherics, development and complexity, I’m not sure if ‘Mount Regency’ reached the epic heights. I guess it didn’t if I put it like that. I felt the same about ‘Frostrite’. I sensed the attempt to superimpose heroism and epic values through bombastic playing and majestic choruses. The raw ingredients are there but again it just doesn’t reach the heights. The dual vocals don’t add to the sense of occasion as they are supposed to. As the track ends with an instrumental extravaganza, it all seems geared to something majestic but for me it doesn’t achieve it.
With ‘The Winter Eclipse’, the experience and atmosphere are finally pulled together. Instead of alternating vocals, the voices now match the power and emotion of the stirring music. Just as Enslaved pull off the epic moments with natural regularity, so this is Borknagar at their majestic best. We are haunted by the ‘everlasting continuum’. There is subtlety in the melody and power, achieved through the balance of the echoing softness and weight. ‘In a Deeper World’ is similarly rousing. The acoustic element again contains power. The vocalist sounds like Jon Anderson singing a Viking warrior song. The balance is again right as the album ends on an uplifting note.
My overall reaction to ‘Urd’ is mixed, just as it has been to Borknagar’s previous works. It was a bit tired and there was something missing. Musically adept and well played, it’s complex but doesn’t abound in flair or imagination. ‘Urd’ is ok but it didn’t take me over or excite me. I felt as if the band was going through the motions until the last two tracks which finally proved their capabilities. ‘Urd’ is good but not great, I’d say.
(5.5 /10 Andrew Doherty)
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