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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Delightful!, June 1, 2000
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.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
i love this band!, March 3, 2005
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.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
!!!, August 23, 2001
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!
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