never would have believed that another bright era shines upon Oystein & Co., officially known as Borknagar. noone expected The Olden Domain to hit next to Arcturus and before the breakthrough of symphonic black under the flag of Dimmu. Although nowadays a so-called pagan direction is more popular than ever, roots of mixing pagan sound and ethos to metal had its pioneers, namely Enslaved and Borknagar - of course, after Bathory. however, during the years Borky faded - despite their progressive tendencies and a perfect, well-managed acoustic recording their ship was on the verge.
breaking the tides - and thanks to Dimmu's dictators - Simen Hestnaes found his way back to the tribe he belongs and where he certainly put out his best so far as a band member. Vocals were always crucial in Borknagar, cause it has been always diverse - and apparently the truth is, Vintersorg can not step up on his own to the talent of Garm or ICS Vortex. Their resolution seems a perfect twist: let all the 3 throats boost in the band: next to ICS Vortex and Vintersorg, Lazare is also a capable lead singer if required. And this diversity, mixing 3 different vocal tones brings a unique offer already - hardly know any other band around in present scene that lines up with 3 perfect vocalists.
However, next to vocals Borknagar's other drawback in recent years were their repetative, though well-composed music layers. Urd shows this band's seventies influence, using Hammonds, clean guitar melodies with folkish tunes and all layers are puzzles of a greater soundscape, yet distinctive from each other. In musical styles these guys were never dummies, this material is full with vibe and master musicianship. And actually i had to realize this record lurks back to my playlist from time to time. Recommendation is obvious, even if you had thought the days of Borknagar ended with Colossus. not at all, Urd is a clear proof of the way forward.
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