Customer Reviews

Olden Domain

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Borknagar is one of the few bands, which has managed to not only sucessfully incorporate synth pieces in their work, but also mix clean vocals and death vocals evenly.

The result is a composing style which few artists have been able to replicate. And better still, the subject matter being sung about refers to ancient gods and warriors, rather than the devil, which other bands have (unfortunately) made the mainstay of their great music.

Borknagar are set apart from other Black Metal bands in that their music is more 'classical' in composition, varying in speed and complexity, not just for the sake of it, but to enhance the listening pleasure of each song.

Highlights on the album include The Eye of Oden, A Tale of Pagan Tongue, The Winterway, and The Dawn. The other songs on the album are also good, and vary between breathtaking speed and slow acoustic.

The drumming is by far the most original and sensible of most Black Metal bands. Instead of using double-bass drumming ad infinitum (as Trym often does in Emperor's later work), there is a lot of variance in the percussion.

The vocals oscillate between furious rasping and melodious singing, complementing the different moods of each and within each song. Maelstrom sings extremely well.

The production is great, as with all Borknagar albums after this one. This is probably as close as it gets to 'modern' classical music.

A must buy.

this is one of the most awesome bands in my book, borknagar break the mold in traditional black metal, truly one of a kind, they have always kinda done their own thing and it has really worked out for them, apparently they sing about nature and life, creation in general, which i think is awesome, a breath of fresh air from traditional black metal without the blasphemous song titles and lyrics, thats really gotten old, unlike most, i really like garms(rip) vocals, and i.c.s vortex' vocals also however i still prefer garms, vintersorg also has oustanding vocal abilities. This band is a must, every metal head needs to have at least 1 borknagar disk in their collection, ive yet to hear a song that i dont like.

What an album! This is one of my favorite Borknagar albums. This is at the time when Borknagar was comprised of the "superstars" of extreme metal scene. Garm (Ulver, Arcturus) on vocals, famous guitarrist Brun Oysten (ex-Molested) who founded Borknagar, Enslaved bass player Ivar Bjoernson and Grim (Ex-Immortal, Gorgoroth). Garm vocals are just as raspy as ever, however he delivers some of the best clean vocals I've ever heard, edging with obnoxiously clean, just listen to, The Eye of Odin, To Mount and Rove or The Dawn of the End. Oysten's guitar work is nearly flawless, to make it shorter, the musicmanship on this album is epic, instruments are executed with elegance and skillfully. Borknagar instead of singing about vikings, or battles or Satanism, opted for a more natural approach, singing about pastures, storms, winds, etc. And it really works. Sadly, Garm decided to leave Borknagar after the release of this album, but they picked up Simen Hestaes, (ICS Vortex, who is now in Dimmu) who delivered up to par, or even better vocals on following albums than Garm would've have done.

Borknagar is one of the finest, epic, atmospheric, and melodic black metal bands in existance. Simply put, is one of the best Norway ever produced. The music is nothing short of beautiful, VERY VERY recommended, I really encourage you to get this album if you're still undecided. Astounding!

Borknagar are a true supergroup out of Norway and Sweden. "The Olden Domain," is one of the best viking metal albumns ever. If you already have "The Archaic Course," go out and buy this superior previous effort by the mighty Borknagar.N

Borknagar prides themselves on their musical beauty. They don't rely on aggressive drumming or stuff like that to achieve a musical revelation; they just use intense but deceptively simple melodies. This release is more operatic than any other of their other release. It is also a very dramatic release. However, there are quirks.

Number one, the guitars seem rather rough and out of touch with the bass. Number two, the drums are rather boomy. Number three, the first instrumental is played with piano that is distorted that makes it sound cheesy at first. However, these are minor complaints. Overall, this might qualify as the most beautiful album I have ever heard. It is a testament to the power of nature and the intricacies within its fierce yet beautiful elements.

The music strikes as brutal yet oddly harmonious, sort of like nature itself. The cover art pretty much captures the mood of the album well. I, unlike many, love the vocals of Garm. They are more operatic and rough yet beautiful, and generally more effective than his antecessor, ICS Vortex. Though not quite on the level of Vintersorg, ICS Vortex's antecessor, they are more operatic than Vintersorg's vocals.

While being a tad overbearing at times, Brun's guitars fit the mood well. The keyboards of Ivar Bjornsen are dramatic and very fitting to the album's overall feel. My favorite songs on the album are #2 The Winterway, #5 To Mount and Rove, and #8 The Dawn Of The End. One thing I noticed is that everyone's favorite song is different, which attests to the overall power of this album. This album shares the spotlight with Empiricism as the best Borknagar album.

Combining powerful drumming, complimentary guitar work, ambient synth and string sounds, and gutteral and operatic vocals, this music is hard to put into a catergory. The album is conceptual in the sense that all the songs seem to flow together well and the album can be listened to from beginning to end. Very few albums fall under that classification. Also, this is not an album just for the black metal genre. Though each of the members of Borknagar are from well known black metal groups, they have created a style of music that surpasses traditional black metal. All in all, a work of art. This is just my opinion though, you should listen for yourself.

Whoever it was that put (rip) next to Garm's name in his review: ummm..Garm's not dead, last I knew.. perhaps you have him mixed up with Grimm(rip), the former drummer, who was also with Gorgoroth and who is, in fact, quite deceased. Anyway, on to some semblance of an actual review.... I love damn near anything this band does, quite frankly. To be honest, I don't actually own this one yet, but I got a compliation called "Feuersturm" that has "Brumland Domain" on it, and it's one of my favorite songs on the album. I love it so. :D Some people complain about Garm's clean vocals, but I like them. Granted, he is a bit off-key, but it manages not to bother me that much.. it grew on me, but everything Borknagar does, in my experience, needs to be allowed time to grow on you. I guess it's a lot of why I like Arcturus so much too, because I do like Garm, or Fiery G. Maelstrom, or Trickster G. Rex, or whatever he's calling himself this week's voice. The only complaint I have about some of Borknagar's albums, though, is that they're so short! "The Archaic Course" and "Empiricism" are short albums too.. I think "Epic" is the only one of the three I have that I don't feel that way about.

If only the production had been just a little cleaner, this would be a five-star album. One thing I really like that most others don't is the clean vocals of Fiery G. Maelstrom (b.k.a. Garm). Most people seem to think he can't sing, but I sure as hell like his voice over Simen's. Not quite on Vintersorg's level though. Otherwise, this rather short release packs a furious heathen punch with thunderous percussion and searing guitar work. Highly recommended to fans of atmospheric black metal.

What an album man !!! Black metal at its purest right here... I hope this guys never sell out please don't ! I realy enjoy listining to the track " to mountan and rove" its an intense piece of music. Buy it !

This Album is the Highlight of Viking Black Metal for me. It is not a lot like Bathory, a bit more modern like Enslaved's mid period material, but with more melody and simplicity. I must say its not only one of my favorite "black metal" bands, but this release is my favorite "Black metal/viking metal" album of all time (except for maybe Hammerheart or Blood on Ice by Bathory). It has all the elements in balance and its winter theme fits perfectly with the music. Keyboards are used but not in a cheesy way. Ivar Bjornson of Enslaved is even on this album playing the keys! All in all, the most impassioned music I have heard out of Norway other than Emperor. Just simplicity with melody and power.