Borknagar - Winter Thrice (2016)^{Release ID: 5338}

For memorable yet varied songs, the dilligent metal listener would not be disappointed with Borknagar's tenth studio album.  There's hooks galore in here, aided well by the still slightly off-kilter and cumbersome vocals of Vintersorg (and others) to add further memorability and emotional layers at the same time.  By now the black metal elements of Borknagar have all but disintegrated, with only the occassional harsh vocal passage from the aforementioned Vintersorg giving the listener some sense of the old incarnation of the band.  The album is progressive without being complex and as a result sits in the brain for days after just one listen.  I woke up this mornng with Cold Runs the River ringing around my head following its appearance on a recent shuffle playlist.  This is a great example of the content of the album as a whole, with its varying tempos, subtle time changes and solid, robust structure.

There's still a feel of folkly momentum to a lot of the tracks as well, as the instruments hit that almost medieval melody mid-flow often done so subtley that you don't notice.  At the same time there's a proficiency for the riff that is never too far away, occasionally deploying a cheeky tremolo here and there to keep the roots of the band showing.  The clean vocals drive this folk element more than anything else though with their storytelling style adding this depth to proceedings well.  Across the whole album there's this effortless flow to the compositions, even when deploying more progressive elements or atmospheric notes beneath the main tide, the album feels cohesive and the songwriting feels well thought out, emotive and expansive.

On two tracks on here, every vocalist who has ever been in Borknagar sing.  A feat that whilst not perhaps totally unique in the history of music has probably rarely been done to such great success.  The title track and Terminus standout as two of the best songs on what in essence is already a brilliant album.  For any band to still be going, ten albums into their career is a feat worth recognition, but to still be going and producing such fine and memorable material is an added layer of brilliance deserving further applause.