Borknagar, the band around Øystein Brun, is back with album number eight. They’ve already been spreading their progressive black metal since 1994 but their previous album already dates from 2006. So it’s been quite the wait for Borknagar fans. Luckily they won’t be disappointed by “Universal”.
Opener “Havoc” starts off with an acoustic intro and takes about a minute to build up to a fierce song dominated by thunderous bass drums and Vintersorg’s typical vocals. His howls are impressive and while his clean vocals aren’t exactly pretty in the traditional sense, they do suit the music perfectly.
They often slow down to make room for folky passages which rely heavily on synths. Most of the time they add something a little different to the song but it doesn’t take away from the fact that towards the end of the album, you get the impression you’ve heard it all before. Nonetheless all the Borknagar (and Vintersorg) fans can rejoice and add this album to their collection without thinking twice about it.
Score: 7.5 out of 10
http://www.indierec.no
http://www.borknagar.com
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