...SIŁA I PIĘKNO MUZYKI TKWIĄ W JEJ RÓŻNORODNOŚCI...
Kogo bym nie spytał o Borknagar zawsze słyszę „eeee… No debiut wiadomo, mega, a potem to już straciłem zainteresowanie po (i tu pada nazwa którejś z wcześniejszych płyt)”. Powiem Wam, że miałem podobnie i przeprosiłem się z nimi na wysokości „Urd”.
A na nowy album to faktycznie czekałem. I jest, w końcu jest. „True North” na początku mi się podobał. Tylko. Ale im bardziej zacząłem się w niego zagłębiać tym bardziej zaskakiwały mi różne zapadki w mózgu i doszedłem w końcu do wniosku, że Øystein z kolegami nagrali album świetny. Może nie genialny, ale daleko im nie brakuje. Tego black metalu jest u nich co prawda coraz mniej – jednakże, gdy już jest, to mamy do czynienia z muzyką naprawdę wysokich lotów. Progresji tutaj również mamy od groma. Ale takiej w starym dobrym stylu, bez swetrowego nudzenia jakimś Dream Theater. Dużo nawiązań do klasyki rocka i hard rocka, od Genesis czy Pink Floyd, przez Rainbow po Deep Purple. No i mamy też tą wikińską epickość, znaną z wcześniejszych albumów – szczególnie że te kawałki są dość długie, od sześciu do dziewięciu minut. Ale ani kawałka nudy. „True North” to w zasadzie doskonała kontynuacja wcześniejszego krążka, z masą zapadających w pamięć fragmentów. Każdy numer ma w sobie coś, co po prostu chodzi za człowiekiem nawet gdy muzyka już umilkła. A warto dodać, że ta melodyka może i wyda się niektórym słuchaczom zbyt ułożona czy łagodna. Może i tak, ale – że tak powiem – wpada mi to w ucho i w serce. Poza tym wątpię, by nagle Borknagar zawładnął rządem młodocianych dusz, które dzięki „True North” zapomną jakichś tam Nightwish. Ale bardzo bym tego chciał.
Dla mnie ten album to jeden z jaśniejszych albumów wydanych w 2019 roku i bardzo mocny pretendent do subiektywnego podsumowania płytowego. Zasłuc*censored*ę się w tych dźwiękach jak po*censored* i nie mam dość. Ktoś się dołączy?
Oracle
Calling me a fanboy of Borknagar is an understatement. Because of this, the review of this year’s True North has been one of the toughest yet for ole Grier. That’s why it’s always difficult to trust the opinion of fanboys, starfuckers, or anyone getting financial “encouragement” from a band or label. Wait a second, Grier, did you back yourself into a corner and admit that no one should trust this review? Hell no, plebs. I’m no n00b. The countless peer reviews on Metal Archives and pretty much everything said over at MetalSucks are the product of letting one’s emotions overtake reality. Passion or payoff is a great incentive to write, but a biased, one-sided review doesn’t do much for the reader (or the band, for that matter). No, dear reader, I am no rook. Even for the love I have for Borknagar, I can (and will) approach True North without bias. And you’ll be sure to find something honest and clickbait-free. Well, more of the former and less of the latter. No one’s perfect.
It’s 4:45 am as I spin True North for the eighteenth time. And, fittingly, lightning is cracking and thunder is rolling across the dark horizon. Fitting because “Thunderous” is exactly what its name suggests. This thing is fucking massive in every way known to the band. With an eight-and-a-half-minute runtime, the opener explores everything from the darkest caverns to the tallest treetops, the warmest valleys to the coldest mountaintops, and the ocean floor to the outer exosphere. Which, as it turns out, also describes most of the album. Combining blackened rasps with Vortex’s unmistakable cleans, “Thunderous” transitions from an aggressive front-half to an emotion-filled back-half. The transition to clean guitars and standout bass work is so abrupt, it feels like a different song. But the gorgeous instrumentation and captivating vocals envelop the whole of the song and wrap it up in the perfect conclusion.
As the album progresses, what stands out the most is the track lengths and the Vortex/Nedlund diversity. “Thunderous” is long but it doesn’t stop there. Also, I’ve been listening to Vortex sing for a long time (Arcturus, Borknagar, Dimmu Borgir, and ICS Vortex), yet he still surprises me. Every song has a different vocal approach on True North. But the ones that stand out the most are the Volbeat-like arrangement of “Up North,” the ballady emotion of “Wild Father’s Heart,” the bludgeoning raspiness of “Mount Rapture,” the clean-on-harsh layering of “Into the White,” and the folkiness of closer “Voices.” Vortex and Nedlund are forces to be reckoned with and they hold nothing back on True North.
As for length, only a few of the tracks dare to be less than six minutes long. The rest are six-and-a-half (“Up North” and “The Fire That Burns”), eight-and-a-half (“Thunderous”), and nine-and-a-half (“Tidal”) minutes in length. Like the opener, “Up North” is a storybook journey that explores every nook and cranny of the countryside. Combining an upbeat first half with a sadboy back-half, this track acts as the perfect pairing to its predecessor, “Thunderous.” This upbeat attitude continues through the massive, clean/harsh builder, “The Fire That Burns,” to the chill, gorgeously-arranged “Lights.” And then the “upbeat” transforms to “uplifting” on the surprising “Wild Father’s Heart.” The progression through these five songs is so damn pleasing. Yet, this suggests that the front of the album is stronger than the back. Which is correct. The build attempted on the B-side uses a combination of “Lights” and “The Fire That Burns” to create “Into the White” and progresses from there to the jaw-dropping closer. But it’s hampered by “Tidal” and “Mount Rapture.” The first being too long and the second—while waking you up after “Wild Father’s Heart”—feels out-of-place with the rest of the disc.
Even with an hour-long album that has two songs pushing against the ten-minute barricade, the album contains a few of my favorite Borknagar moments. “Voices” and “Wild Father’s Heart” are the more unique pieces on the disc and, along with “Lights” and “Thunderous,” will define True North as it ages. Though this album is miles apart from the last time Vortex was the sole voice—not to exclude the fine vocal work done by Lars Nedland1—of the Borknagar, the biggest difference between then and now is the attitude. True North is more upbeat and more uplifting than any other Borknagar record. That, however, is not a criticism. Rather it’s an observation that makes True North one of a kind in the band’s extensive catalog. At times, True North feels long and it needs a couple of spins to digest all the details. But once you’ve explored its lush soundscapes, you’ll find that True North deserves to be next to other albums in Borknagar’s catalog.
DR. A.N. GRIER
Thirty years have passed since the Norwegian Øystein G. Brun brought his musical offspring to the world under the name Borknagar, in the rainy city of Bergen, birthplace of other bands such as Burzum, Immortal or Taake. Accompanied by talented figures from the Norwegian scene (Ivar Bjørnson, Grim, Garm or ICS Vortex, to name just a few), good pagan-viking metal with progressive and folk elements dozen albums -including “Fall”- have been released, forming one of the most solid discographies on the Norwegian black metal scene, perhaps only surpassed by their compatriots Enslaved.
“True North” is the band's eleventh album, a title that refers to the direction of the North Pole relative to the navigator's position, marked in the sky by the North Star. The hairless guitarist declared that for him the true north is that something you cling to when everything goes wrong, which helps you orient yourself, to move forward. The cover is simple, a beautiful image of a winter landscape that evokes their native country. Just looking at it instantly transports you to mountainous Norway to the point that you can almost feel the icy wind on your face. I can't think of a better choice.
The album is majestic, full of variations, beautiful violins and keyboards, furious gutturals and sweet clean vocals, Pink Floyd-ish acoustic interludes, calm passages… Long and epic songs (“Thunderous” and “Tidal”) contrast with calm and catchy compositions like the single “Up North”, “Lights”, the hypnotic “Voices” or the emotional ballad “Wild Father’s Heart”. Of course, black metal aggressiveness could not be missing. Two examples are “The Fire That Burns” and “Mount Rapture”, where Vortex's harsh voice and Lazare's clean vocals (much more present in “True North” than in “Winter Thrice”, which is great news) alternate and combine perfectly, a resource that I have always seen as a way of expressing the duality of good/evil, light/dark, angelic versus demonic voice, the two sides of the human being. The vocal work on this album is simply impeccable.
True North is an exciting and enthralling sonic journey that will delight fans of the most progressive and melodic aspects of metal. Despite being Borknagar's longest album to date, listening never feels slow or boring thanks to the impressive work of Vortex and Lars Nedland on vocals, the beautiful, masterfully executed keyboards and Brun's varied riffs. Nine tracks that make up a true masterpiece of progressive/Viking folk black metal that borders on perfection. If I had to highlight some songs these would be “Up North”, “Voices”, “Mount Rapture” and “Thunderous”, although they are all great compositions. Undoubtedly one of the best albums of 2019. I fell in love with it.
puto slayer
1. Thunderous 08:34
2. Up North 06:29
3. The Fire That Burns 06:33
4. Lights 05:04
5. Wild Father's Heart 05:42
6. Mount Rapture 06:08
7. Into The White 05:57
8. Tidal 09:32
9. Voices 05:09
Øystein G. Brun - Clean and Electric Guitars
Lars A. Nedland - Keys and Vocals
I.C.S. Vortex - Bass and Vocals
Jostein Thomassen - Lead Guitars
Bjørn Dugstad Rønnow - Drums
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAKWe0DkBsE
SEED 14:30-23:00.
POLECAM!!!
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