Choirpreach Smoothie
In 1995-96, Borknagar arrived more or less fully-formed. Founded by mastermind Øystein Garnes Brun, the original group included members of established pillars of the Norwegian black metal scene, such as Gorgoroth, Ulver and Enslaved. In an early show of assurance, the group asked for a record contract without recording a demo, and was given one. It’s been close to two decades since their self-titled debut, and subsequent fan favorite The Olden Domain. The years have seen much turnover, but also a steady stream of releases. The latest is Winter Thrice, a sort of 20 year celebration of the band’s existence.
Press materials describe Winter Thrice as “an unrelenting rollercoaster of dynamics and atmosphere.” This isn’t a lie, but it sure as hell isn’t the whole truth. Yes, there are all kinds of variations here – blackened blasts, towering riffs, choral harmonies, deliberate marches, softer folk sections, piano interludes, guitar solos, and more! But before you get too excited, know this: Winter Thrice is also slick, long winded and monotonous. How can this be, with all of the diverse ingredients and intricate compositions included in each song? It’s because the musical elements get blended into a hyper-refined, compressed mix, and end up coming out at the same volume. This gives the songs a nearly uniform character. There is also a lot of generic clean-vocaled, unremarkably-riffed roughage here, which has the effect of evening out the songs to a fault; despite all the constituents, there is a marked lack of texture, making Winter Thrice too smooth for its own good.
The Olden Domain is still Borknagar’s flagship album, and it only takes a few minutes of listening to see why. Wild experiments and jarring dynamic shifts permeate the album. The production is quite flawed, but it adds mystique to the proceedings. Imperfect performances make the musicians seem earnest – as if they are exploring new territory and bringing you along. OF COURSE WE ALL KNOW THAT BANDS CAN’T JUST REPLICATE THEIR BEST MOMENTS OVER AND OVER AGAIN INTO PERPETUITY. But Winter Thrice doesn’t even stand a chance – it’s so heartbreakingly obvious that Borknagar have simply become more polished and less engaging since that great work. Hell, even recent works like 2012’s Urd boast more in the way of distinction and dynamics than Winter Thrice…
Outside comparisons also reflect unfavorably on Borknagar’s latest. You could have a non-metal friend close their eyes, read them the press release for Winter Thrice then play them Opeth’s Watershed, or any of the last three Enslaved albums. By the time you revealed the real one, the contrast would become clear – the other bands are actually pushing forward into new territory, or at least making novel pastiche, while Borknagar are just changing the proportions of fruit and veggies in their well-blended smoothie.
There is a telling moment at 1:24 of “Panorama,” where a strange dynamic and rhythmic shift seems to herald something odd and different. Alas! You can actually hear the band fumble it away. A turning point ripe for faux-jazz, mathiness, carnival music, keyboard eeriness or any other number of diversions becomes instead a showcase for dreary, limp guitar lines, while poor Baard Kolstad tries desperately to make something interesting happen with his drumming. Check out the wacky organ solo on “The Lotus Eater” from the aforementioned Watershed and tell me it doesn’t spring from nearly identical weather conditions. What’s worse is that the press materials actually brag about “Panorama,” claiming it “boasts metal, progressive, folk and classic 70s rock elements in the space of 6 minutes.”
In Winter Thrice’s defense, the blackened sections feature Vintersorg’s rich, full screams, along with bright, ebullient guitar tones and strong, even blastbeats. They kick ass every time – and it would be nice if there were more of them! The beginning of “Terminus” could very well sweep you up into the sky. Same goes for black blasts in “Cold Runs the River” and “Erodent.” However, the sad inevitability is that the euphoria wears off, and after several minutes of metal mediocrity, you’re likely to forget what it felt like to soar high above the Norwegian forest…
Winter Thrice is not a bad album. It just does little to live up to the high standards set by Borknagar’s contemporaries, and by earlier incarnations of the very same band. There’s nothing here to draw in anyone who isn’t already into generically listenable folkened black metal. The lack of risk and resulting preclusion of reward are a major bummer here, as are the underuse of all the musical talent and studio expertise. This is safe, consistent music, and not one song hits the nail of transcendence on the head.
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