Though I was hard-pressed for such a big swing
in Borknagar’s
newest musical pursuit, I was also somewhat curious. Knowing bands like
Månegarm, Finntroll, Empyrium and a slew of others have delved into
the acoustic world after previously releasing metal albums, I thought, it's
Borknagar and it will be great. Case and point. Borknagar’s 7th studio
output, “Origin,” is really nothing short of the overall atmosphere
from the other albums aside from the distorted guitars or lack thereof.
There are 9 songs, 2 of them are instrumental, and the disc runs about 36
minutes. One of the 9 songs is a rerecorded acoustic version of "Oceans
Rise" from The Archaic Course album. Only 4 members have coincided
this time (Øystein G. Brun, Lars A. Nedland, Asgeir Mickelson and
Vintersorg), but there appears to be some assistance from Steinar Ofsdal,
Thomas Nilsson and Sareeta for the more traditional instruments. Also, Tyr
played the bass on this album. Looking into the dynamics and overall feel
of the album, folk is the common denominator, as one may expect. With so
much going on, this reminds me a lot of a band known as Tenhi out of Finland.
A very mystical and personified sound at the very least. If Borknagar decided
to do this type of album every time, I believe they would have the same
following they have always had. Surely I would miss the Viking metal sound
from time to time, but who knows - only time will tell. Origin is outstanding!
Rating: 91
Reviewed By: Thomas Mitchell |
