Yet another brilliant progressive/black metal album from Norway. Borknagar features genre stalwarts Garm (Ulver), Ivar Ivar Bjørnson (Enslaved) and Infernus (Gorgoroth), combining their relentless talents in a cohesive and epic package.
Compositionally, Borknagar consists of raw and aggressive bursts interwoven with majestic folk elements and operatic song structures. Garm’s vocals are superb as always, offering both his blistering howl and clean choral tones to the mix, fleshing out the spiraling blast beats and soaring, distorted guitar riffs. Icy keyboards and acoustic guitars are also used sparingly to add more space to the thundering dynamics.
As noted above, this music has a progressive tinge to it, moving beyond typical black metal fair with extended martial instrumentals like "Tanker Mot Tind (Kvelding)", refined acoustic/electric contrasts like on "Ved Steingard", and the general melodic complexity running through the whole album. I would highly recommended this to Ulver fans and also to those looking for a metal epic that is bold and atmospheric without it wallowing in a contrived, depressive state. This is brutal and beautiful.
P.S. I love the cover, I want to record something in that cabin!
A stunning and underwritten black metal album, Fleurety’s Min tid skal komme was years ahead of its time, pushing the boundaries of the genre with its post-rock and avant-garde touches. Among many of the elements making this creative effort standout is its use of Marian Aas Hansen’s soaring vocals, ringing over the band’s atonal harmonics with chilling clarity. When paired against the eerie melodies, psychedelic guitar work and terrifying growls, the result is simply astounding, possessing the same icy air as the work of Swans-era Jarboe.
The unconventional song structures and technical signature changes add a progressive drive to these 5 songs, often resembling the skeletal riffs and atmospheric bass of early post-rock bands Rodan and Slint. These bleak, and often folk-inspired, passages sharply turn into full on black metal assaults, complete with intense blast beats and vicious tremolo picking.
Every song on this album is long and adventurous, expanding across different musical territory without betraying the cold atmosphere that unifies the whole experience. The relationship between emotionality and complexity are extraordinarily fluid and natural, while still sounding unique and uncompromising. With Min tid skal komme, Norway’s Fleurety have crafted a work that is artful, moving and consistently interesting, rivaling Ulver’s tenacity and progressive spirit. These unsung pioneers deserve more accolades, as they have not only produced a work of tremendous genius, but also demonstrate that black metal and post rock styles can flow together quite beautifully, leaving a freshly blazoned trail for future avant-metal artists to follow.
The highly anticipated Blue Lambency Downward , the third LP from Toby Driver’s avant-metal band Kayo Dot, is finally upon us, complete with its expansive jazz tangents and ethereally surreal vocals. While Kayo Dot’s previous efforts still contained some of the prog-metal elements found within Driver’s previous band Maudlin of the Well, their latest work moves in a more noticeably abstract direction, leaving the bursts of guitar noise and anguished screaming behind. The transition showcases the band’s maturity and place within experimental music circles, while also taking a calculated risk towards looser and more challenging compositions. The result is an album that is undeniably beautiful, but also fairly difficult to get into, as some of these dreamy travels, the first 4 tracks in particular, meander without cohesion.
As the evocative title suggests, the musicianship found here is certainly lambent, gliding luminously and effortlessly across these 7 movements. The delicate guitar lines, graceful violins and haunting saxophones provide a comforting light for Driver’s playful and otherworldly vocals, sounding like a lucid dream variation of Jeff Buckley. For all their stunning instrumentals, cosmic atmosphere and psychedelic tones, Kayo Dot can’t seem to strike a clear path through their colorful sonic forests, as the first half of the album wanders in a slow and detached fashion, never managing to merge on a one propulsive wavelength. Without a steady and progressive rhythm, these songs come off as terrific background music, rather than all-consuming trips.
As soon as we get to “The Awkward Windwheel”, things begin to pick up, as the drumming provides a consistent momentum, driving along Driver’s evocative stream-of-consciousness lyrics and the swelling coupling of strings and brass, as it all barrels towards a triumphant, crashing conclusion. “The Useless Ladder” is a shorter track, but within its concise structure we hear Driver’s strange and descriptive narratives with greater clarity, as he sings confidently amid the sorrowful violins and flute.
The finale of “Symmetrical Arizona” is probably the strongest piece on the album, and a clear highlight from Kayo Dot’s entire body of work. Fluid symphonic tones open things up slowly before a lonely guitar plays gloriously drawn-out licks reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s “Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Part 1-5)” The rest of the band then join in again for their last cathartic exercise, sounding more unified as they jam under enticing waves of saxophone. After being seemingly lost and disoriented, Kayo Dot finally come together to produce a shining example of the band’s progressive ambitions.
Despite its inconsistencies and somewhat unfocused moments, Blue Lambency Downward marks a welcomed transition for one of metal’s most fascinating acts. If you take the time to explore the detailed environments the band creates, you will surely find this to be a rewarding listen. For your astral journeys or wine-soaked nights, Blue Lambency Downwards makes for a fitting and absorbing soundtrack.
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