01	Earth Imagery						04:52
	02	Grains						03:42
	03	Oceans Rise						06:05
	04	Signs						01:17
	05	White						04:45
	06	Cynosure						02:55
	07	The Human Nature						04:48
	08	Acclimation						04:30
	09	The Spirit Of Nature						03:00

Borknagar
Origin
Century Media
2006
B



ah, the all-acoustic album: the perfect way for a metal band to (a) recycle songs, (b) get female fans, or (c) "show the fans another side of the band." When Godsmack and Korn are going acoustic, the apocalypse must be nigh. But for all the Stainds MTV Unplugged has left in used record store bins, metal has come up with some quiet winners—Alice in Chains' Jar of Flies, Opeth's Damnation, Green Carnation's Acoustic Verses, and now Borknagar's Origin.

One indicator of probable acoustic success is previous dabbling. When Borknagar formed in 1995, it played fairly straightforward black metal. However, even on its debut, the group experimented with acoustic guitars, tympani, and melodic singing. Over its next five albums, the Norwegian band further explored these elements, culminating in the lush, aptly-named Epic.

A look at Borknagar's lineups is telling. Its ranks have included members of Enslaved, Ulver, Arcturus, and Solefald, all groups that have departed from black metal's blueprint to incorporate other influences. Current singer Vintersorg has a prog/folk project of the same name; he and guitarist ?ystein Brun recently collaborated on Cronian, a keyboard-heavy hybrid of prog and post-black metal.

Thus, when Brun announced last year the band was going unplugged, few were shocked. Indeed, it was almost logical for Borknagar (a nonsensical name Brun coined). All that melody had seemingly come to a tipping point. Origin is no campfire sing-along, though. With piano, organ, bamboo flute, recorder, cello, and violin, the album is a richly orchestrated blend of folk and '70s prog rock. Warm, natural production captures the squeak of strings and the wood of instruments. Vocals are sonorous; melodies are bold, even romantic. This album evokes a Viking nobility no Manowar album could express.

But while Origin has the requisite paeans to nature, its concerns are often more abstract. The astral sweep of "The Human Nature" recalls the spacy musings of Atheist and Cynic. "White" describes a room with "No doors or windows / No entrances or exits / Only bright light / Forming a shining empire / Of electrical impulses." The song then darkens with vaguely tense strings, building to an abrupt, indefinite conclusion.

Only a few things blemish this album. While it is strong, especially on the majestic "Cynosure," Vintersorg's voice occasionally strains on higher notes. A guitar in "Oceans Rise" repeatedly hits an out-of-key note; this oversight is puzzling for an otherwise carefully crafted album. Nitpicks aside, though, Origin is lovely and should please fans and non-metalheads alike.


Borknagar - Origin (7/10) - Norway - 2006

Genre: Acoustic
Label: Century Media
Playing time: 35:54
Band homepage: Borknagar

Tracklist:

1.
Earth Imagery >mp3
2.
Grains
3.
Oceans Rise
4.
Signs
5.
White
6.
Cynosure
7.
Human Nature
8.
Acclimation
9.
The Spirit Of Nature

Borknagar - Origin

When I had read that the new BORKNAGAR album would be purely acoustic, influenced by Folk and classical music, at times with violin and flute, I was very eager to hear the CD, which originally arrived in two pieces, so I had to wait for a replacement CD... As fan of BORKNAGAR, Folk, classical music and acoustic music I thought that this would be the perfect mix, also knowing the class of Vintersorg’s clear voice.



Apparently Шystein Brun writes all BORKNAGAR songs on the acoustic guitar first and only through arrangements they turn into the progressive Black Metal songs we know from the Norwegians, so it was an almost logical consequence to leave out that last step and let the pure songs flow. I don't know, how often I have listened to "Origin" by now, but even after countless tries I can't help it but feel disappointed, because what I hear here surely has some Folk influences, but to me sounds more like old, acoustic Prog Rock with some Folk, at times pretty inaccessible and in some songs, such as "The Human Nature" even adding a slightly avantgarde-y touch that one would rather expect from, say, ARCTURUS, which definitely does not help the accessibility.



"Earth Imagery" sets out with acoustic guitar and flute, beautiful, no question, the following organ is not a problem for me either, AMORPHIS steeled my ears, but I miss the spark and flow. It still is a good song, though, even though some of the vocal lines make my hair stand on end. The acoustic remake of "Oceans Rise" (originally on "The Archaic Domain") is very nice and shows how you can make Black Metal purely acoustic. On the other hand "White" starts out nicely, but the violin and rest of the song at times seem to play against each other, which my ears are not very fond of to say the least, just like the already mentioned passages of "The Human Nature". On the other hand "Cynosure" and "Acclimation" are absolutely beautiful songs.



In the end "Origin" leaves me torn, as some of the songs are absolutely beautiful, while others, at least with me, miss the mark and that is exactly the point of my disappointment, where I would have expected more from BORKNAGAR, especially in the songs, where this Prog Rock influence is more prominent. The album surely is not bad, but by far not what I had hoped for... (Online September 27, 2006)


Borknagar: Origin

Norway's Borknagar have quite a surprise for their fans on their seventh album titled Origin. This latest platter takes a breather from the symphonic black metal the band is known for, and dives head first into folk, classical, and prog rock. Much like Opeth stripped back the arrangements to mostly acoustic guitars, keyboards, and melodic clean vocals on their Damnation album, Borknagar puts away their electric guitars and black metal vocals for Origin, instead laying down an arsenal that includes acoustic guitars, keyboards, percussion, and guest violin, cello, flute & other woodwinds, and layers of clean vocals. Main songwriter and band leader Oystein G. Brun regularly writes the band's music acoustically, so for this album it was decided to keep the final arrangements that way, and the results are magical.

On this release the band is Brun on acoustic & classical guitars, Vintersong on vocals, choirs, and chants, Lars Nedland on all keyboards, Tyr on bass, and Asgeir Mickelson on drums & percussion. Guest musicians are Steiner Ofsdal on all woodwinds, Sareeta on violin, and Thomas Nilsson on cello. Imagine a cross between early White Willow, Jethro Tull, and Arcturus, and you get a sense for what to expect here. It's lush, it's melodic, and especially folky all the way. Just listen to the gorgeous violin and cello on "Human Nature", a real soaring piece that is also a great vehicle for Vintersong, who really shines throughout this album with this wonderful vocals. Haunting flute bonds with Brun's layers of acoustic guitars on the enchanting "Acclimation", while "Earth Imagery" is an enchanting mix of folk and symphonic prog, complete with virtuoso classical guitar picking from Brun and loads of keyboards courtesy of Nedland. Other highlights include the lovely yet mysterious "Grains", the updated take on "Oceans Rise" (originally on their 1997 album The Archaic Curse), the majestic "White", and the grand guitar/violin interplay of the instrumental "The Spirit of Nature".

Honestly, there's not a bad song here. When it's over (at just about 35 minutes) you'll long for more, and simply hit the replay button over and over again. While Borknagar's brand of progressive and symphonic black metal is perhaps close to the best the genre has to offer, Origin is a wonderful break in the action, a warm respite from their more aggressive sounds. Origin is one of the best progressive folk albums you will hear all year-check it out.


Track Listing
1) Earth Imagery
2) Grains
3) Oceans Rise
4) Signs
5) White
6) Cynosure
7) Human Nature
8) Acclimation
9) The Spirit of Nature

Added: September 12th 2006
Reviewer: Pete Pardo
Score:
Related Link: Borknagar Website
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Language: english