Borknagar - Empiricism
Released October 2001
The Band:
Vintersorg - vocals
Oystein G. Brun - guitars
Jens F. Ryland - guitars
Asgeir Mickelson - drums
Tyr - bass
Lars A. Nedlund - keyboard, piano, organ, backing vocals
The Tracks:
1. The Genuine Pulse - 4:51 - Starts out with a nice piano intro before the rest of the bands explodes out of the speakers with a monsterously heavy onslaught of riffs and blast beats. Vintersorgs clean vocals are stunning here (and everywhere else on the album, as I will often point out). Awsome synth lines here as well. A great way to start the album. 4.5/5
2. Gods Of My World - 4:26 - "The Gods are great; I am the greatest." Indeed. The awsome level continues from the the last song. Vintersorgs vocals, once again, astound me. Great lyrics and music make another song that should not be missed. 4.5/5
3. The Black Canvas - 5:18 - Starts out with some very grim vocals over top of a bit of synth, the blast beats come in shortly thereafter and the song really takes off. Tyr has some really nice and audible bass lines here. 4.5/5
4. Matter And Motion - 2:30 - Here is where the folk influences really shine on Empiricism. This is an intrumental that serves as a break from the brutality that the rest of the songs serve. A very folk-ish piano drives the song over top of a powerful rythym. 5/5
5. Soul Sphere - 6:41 - Begins immediately with Vintersorg screaming his ass off, before going into an awsome melodic piece. The keyboards play a really major role in creating atmosphere in the background and some of Vintersorg's best vocals on the album. As the longest track on here, it is easily the most epic. 5/5
6. Inherit The Earth - 5:29 - One of my favorite tracks on Empiricism. Tyr has a major role here and carries the song in some parts. The guitar solo is extremely beautiful. 5/5
7. Stellar Dome - 5:36 - The best song on the album. Starts out with a beautifully melodic intro and creates an interesting juxtaposition when Vintersorg starts screaming; screamed vocals over softer, more melodic music really works well here. Absolutely beautiful. 7/5
8. Four Element Synchronicity - 5:51 - The "choral" thingy by Vintersorg never ceases to amaze me. Another amazing song here. There is some really nice, mellow guitar work about halfway through the song followed by a little solo piano piece. Don't skip this track. 5/5
9. Liberated - 4:51 - The piano really starts this song off nicely and carries it all the way through. Awsome. 4/5
10. View Of Everlast - 4:30 - A really nice way to finish off an awsome album. A very mellow track most of the way through. The drums become forceful for a little while near the end of the song. Beautiful lyrics, beautiful music. Awsome. 5/5
Overall:
I haven't heard any other Borknagar albums besides this one so I don't know how it compares to their previous work. However, I can compare it to other music out there and say that this album kicks ass. A lot of ass, as a matter of fact. There are some bands I've heard that have music that is this varied, but few of them are this varied in a single song like Borknagar is. The folk influences mixed with the brutality of black metal works extremely well for these guys. The guitar and piano work is outstanding and the vocals: wow. The lyrics might be too esoterical for some people to really get into, but that shouldn't matter. One of the best albums I've had the pleasure of purchasing. 5/5
