ALBUM REVIEW: Borknagar (25th Anniversary Reissue) – Borknagar
In this day and age, Norway’s BORKNAGAR are a bit of an anomaly. Born in the embers of their homeland’s black metal dynasty, they’ve carved out a niche that owes as much to progressive metal, baltic folk, and avant-garde art as it does the cavernous underworld of Bergen.
BORKNAGAR were a by-product of boredom. Founder Øystein Garnes Brun grew tired of churning out brutal death metal day in and day out with MOLESTED and wanted to take on a project he truly belonged to. Brun sought out like-minded souls, ultimately forming a supergroup of sorts including members of ENSLAVED, GORGOROTH, IMMORTAL, and ULVER. The stature of the members alone meant they were signed by Malicious Records without a single note heard. With a record deal done and dusted, they took to fabled Bergen spot Grieghallen Studios to record their self-titled debut, emerging with the results some 25 years ago.
The album is a blistering blend of blast-beats and demonic screams, drowned out in lo-fi drudge that haunts your eardrums like the satanic realms it paints. On 2019’s True North, BORKNAGAR’s marriage of nihilistic aggression and melodic sensibility is fully formed. On Borknagar, it’s a primal punch-up that owes more to the second wave of black metal than anything else – however dig deep into this 25th reissue, and you’ll find the band’s blueprint clear as day. Its original ten tracks have been carefully remastered by Brun himself, and this labour of love isn’t lost on your ears. It’s only now, 25 years on, that you can hear the band BORKNAGAR have become so clearly in this early outing.
Opener Vintervredets Sjelesagn is full-frontal second-wave black metal with a blast beat that feels like you’re being punched in the face without relief. Yet dig deeper into it, and you’ll hear the mountainous riffs and polyrhythmic structures of the progressive metal they would start exploring on 1997’s The Old Domain. Elsewhere, on Ved Steingard, acoustic guitars float underneath harmonic guitar licks that summon the world of Skyrim to mind.
However, these remasters also serve as a reminder that BORKNAGAR were by no means fully-formed in 1996. Ved Steingard doesn’t fit into the musical narrative you’re immersed in at that point in the album. Acoustic interludes (Nord Naagauk) and shamanic ritual chanting (Krigsstev) often feel disjointed, yet you find yourself disregarding this for the sheer fact that it all feels so good, and retrospectively, you realise this was a group of musicians figuring out their future as they played.
Whilst revisiting this album is rewarding in its own right, the real pleasure of this reissue is not in its remasters, but in its bonus content. For the first time ever, you can experience live sessions from Grieghallen Studios as well as alternate mixes and first-recordings. It’s a peek behind the curtain, offering a method to the madness of this debut. Fandens Allheim is easily an album highlight, and its live studio session strips back the epic orchestral polish of its remaster to highlight the furious and fiery fretwork that binds it together. These sessions serve as a spotlight on the sheer musicianship of the band during this early era, positioning this reissue as a piece of black metal history cemented in time.
As its line-up has shifted, musical technologies have advanced, and black metal has explored territories far-and-wide, BORKNAGAR have become underground alchemists. But with this 25th anniversary reissue of their self-titled debut, they solidify their status as one of black metal’s most vital bands with an album that deserves cult status.
Rating: 9/10
Borknagar (25th Anniversary Reissue) is set for release on November 12th via Century Media Records.
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