Borknagar – Fall

Written by on 22-02-2024 at 18:55.

Could it be? Is it real? A quick look at the bottom of the promotional material shows that Borknagar has exactly the same musicians in its ranks this time as during the strong True North. This is truly unique. Never before have fans had to wait so long for new work from these Norwegian progressives. The band around chief Øystein G. Brun had not had the chance to show the previous album to the public due to some virus. Fortunately, we can now finally start preparing for Fall. As always, every detail has been thought through. From the musical compositions, and the deeper meaning of the lyrics to the beautiful album cover. Jens Borgren once again provides flawless production and crystal-clear sound. It is not without reason that Borknagar is still standing proud after thirty years. Will it remain that way or will this new album Fall bring the giant to fall?

To be honest, it seemed like that for a while. Summits was released as a first taste on this cold world. The first notes immediately sound familiar. Few bands have a sound as distinctive and recognizable as Borknagar. Metal is primarily a genre par excellence that evokes emotion in any direction. Borknagar is a master at that. The raging black metal passages come in full force, while the dreamy prog-rock transports and lets the mind wander. Summits certainly meets this requirement at times but is not yet convincing overall. The middle section in particular goes on too long and lacks a clear direction. Towards the end, the registers of ICS Vortex open completely and a positive feeling is left behind. Nordic Anthem largely washes that feeling away. An odd one on the album, but also in Borknagar‘s discography. Tribal rhythms and folk-inspired singing are meant to represent a Nordic anthem, but the result is a flat performance with a high Eurovision content.

Then doubt strikes. Predecessors True North (with Thunderous and The Fire That Burns) and Winter Thrice (with The Rhymes Of The Mountain and Cold Runs The River) both had a very strong start to the album. Enough about the past, let’s move on to Afar. This immediately sounds like Borknagar‘s trademark. Compelling guitar lines draw the listener into the song, which impresses with grand bombast and the icy scream of ICS Vortex. The clear harmony vocals with Nedland are exceptional. Moon starts icy cold but soon turns into calmer waters. On a bed of bluesy hard rock, ICS Vortex can showcase its great class, just like wonderful guitar playing. Stars Ablaze suffers to a lesser extent from the same problem as the opener Summits. Here too we find one of the longer songs on the album. The song has a classic quiet-loud-quiet-loud interaction. The intersections to glue everything together are extended a bit too far so that the real impact is somewhat lost.

While True North got off to a strong start, that album just dragged on a bit towards the end. Now in Unraveling we find perhaps (emphasis on perhaps) Fall‘s strongest song. First of all because of the use of the Hammond organ (we have too little of that in this world), but certainly because of the ingenious structures and addictive melodies. The Wild Lingers is a relatively quiet expression, carried by soothing vocals and dreamy prog rock. However, the bombastic chorus with orchestral support then completely blows you away. Here ICS Vortex shows that he is one of the best singers in the genre. Simply beautiful! This will stick in my mind for a while in the coming weeks. Lasting ten minutes, Northward is Fall‘s longest song and closing track. In every fiber, this feels like the anthem that Nordic Anthem should have been. Previous cases of intermediate sections being extended slightly too long also remain absent. By also giving black metal a prominent place, the album also gains the necessary intensity towards the end.

Borknagar has been at the top of extreme progressive metal for thirty years. Fall is the twelfth piece of evidence of this in his long career. Once again this is an album full of interesting twists and turns and a perfect balance between determination and exaltation, with a running time of almost an hour. Not a simple thing to judge with a single listen. With every listen a new melody opens up, a harmonious vocal- or bass line that has not been discovered before. And so there is a lot of beauty hidden beneath the icy surface. Still, the ice occasionally cracks under the weight. However, the giant does not fall.

Score:

83/100

Label:

Century Media Records, 2024

Tracklisting:

  1. Summits
  2. Nordic Anthem
  3. Afar
  4. Moon
  5. Stars Ablaze
  6. Unraveling
  7. The Wild Lingers
  8. Northward

Line-up:

  • Lars A. Nedland – Vocals, keyboard
  • ICS Vortex – Vocals, bass guitar
  • Øystein G. Brun – Guitar
  • Jostein Thomassen – Guitar
  • Bjørn Dugstad Rønnow – Drums

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