By Ben Apatoff
When supposed black metal purists lament the commercialization of their beloved music, they could be talking about BORKNAGAR. Despite roots in the Norwegian black metal scene, Borknagar's newest album, Universal, features clean singing, folk-inspired arrangements and extended acoustic segments. This is black metal for kids that don't like MAYHEM but appreciate the progressive turns and genre-defiance of bands like OPETH. The result is something that, while missing the punch of the year's best metal albums so far, gives hope to anyone who thinks black metal should've evolved more by now.
Universal starts with some delicate guitar playing before rushing into cookie monster vocals on "Havoc." A repeated scale-ascending progression and a low-mixed organ accentuate the song's brutal moments, as do basically the same elements on the next song, "Reason." For the most part, the rest of the album is never as abrasive again, adding flutes, violins and keyboards to guitarist ØYSTEN BRUN's solid riffs and intriguing pace changes. Singer ANDREAS HEDLUND delivers strong and versatile performances all-around, but for all their bold arrangements, BORKNAGAR sound like a competent metal band biting off more than they can chew. As exciting as it is to them chase power metal fantasies on "Fleshflower" or throw stirring a bass-and-violin led interlude into "For a Thousand Years," such ideas would be better suited for more memorable melodies. But they also display the sort of creativity that should be welcome in black metal, and for that reason Universal is worth a good spin.
Rating: 3 Universal Soldiers out of 5
