Music: Progressive black metal
Website: http://www.borknagar.com
Country: Norway
Duration: 55:39 (including bonus songs)
Reviewer's Picks: FLESHFLOWER! (also, My Domain)
If albums were fables, the moral to Universal would be Good things come to those who wait. Universal starts out with several songs that are unexciting, albeit decent. The disjointed style works very well on short tracks like The Stir of Seasons but make longer tracks (5 minutes and over) feel like they'll go on forever, and not in a good way. Havoc and Reason felt particularly lengthy and even though I enjoyed them, especially in combination with each other, I found myself checking the scrollbar on my media player a couple of times.
I have to admit if the entire album had been Fleshflower looped ten times, it would have been spectacular. Whimsical and spirited, short and sweet, Fleshflower is a breath of fresh air after a somewhat dull introductory half, and it's impossible not to fall in love with it. Sure, the lyrics make absolutely no sense whatsoever (how exactly can anything be vertically green anyway?) but their meaninglessness adds to the charm. There's no filler added here either no unnecessary solos, no extended breakdowns, no (musical) nonsense. Fleshflower is pure, condensed awesome.
The rest of Universal, while not nearly as catchy as Fleshflower, certainly shines in its own way. Generally speaking, the music is pleasant to listen to, but repetitive. Familiar harmonies abound in both halves of the album, and it's hard to tell whether or not the sameness is intentional. Nevertheless, the haunting melodies and hints of black metal interspersed throughout are enough to keep a thrash-head like me entertained.
note: 7/10
Tracklist
Havoc
Reason
The Stir of Seasons
For a Thousand Years to Come
Abrasion Tide
Fleshflower
Worldwide
My Domain
Coalition of the Elements (bonus)
Loci (bonus)
Line-up
Vintersorg – Vocals
Lars “Lazare” Nedland – Keyboard, Backing Vocals
Řystein G. Brun – Guitar
Jen Ryland – Guitar
David Kinkade – Drums
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