Borknagar - Epic

It's hard to believe Epic is Borknagar's seventh record already. Borknagar originally started when guitarist Oystein G. Brun split from death metallers Molested back in the early nineties. The caliber of his supporting cast is like an all star game. The three singers alone are metal legends; Garm (Arcturus, Ulver), Simen Hestnaes (Dimmu Borgir), and most recently, Vintersorg (Vintersorg, Fission). Equally, if not more impressive, is the fact that Oystein has created a band that operates at a high level of consistency while establishing their own sound and identity. Sure, Borknagar have become more progressive since their self titled debut, but still have strong roots in the black metal meets folk community.

If you liked Borknagar's most recent albums (2000's Quintessence and 2001's Empiricism) you will also enjoy Epic. Returning are the supremely talented drummer Asgeir Mickelson (Spiral Architect, Testament), keyboardist Lars A. Nedland (Solefald), and of course, Vintersorg and Oystein. Due to the departure of bassist Tyr (Emperor, Satyricon), Mickelson also played bass on the album. Once again Borknagar utilize clean singing with black metal shreiking throughout Epic. Vintersorg even creates a cool sing-a-long on "Circled." "Cyclus" could be the quintessential Borknagar song. It sees them at their most extreme, but the styles run the gamut with acoustic guitars and even organ being implemented, and again with the clean vocals emulating folk music. Vintersorg does this again on "Quintessence." The closing song, "The Wonder," also incorporates folk, but also Vintersorg's most emphatic black metal vocals.

On Epic, Borknagar is again a model of consistency.