ALBUM REVIEW: Borknagar – Fall


Borknagar is one of Norway’s acclaimed heavy metal acts known for their striking Scandinavian sound and resolute resilience. Their beginnings sprouted thirty years ago and over that time they have proven their merit by cultivating complex concoctions full of genre-bending wonders. They are well seasoned in their affluent brewing of black, progressive, and folk elements making their work notable. 

Their capabilities continue to shine bright on their next full-length record where they push boundaries and explore new depths of their skill sets on Fall (Century Media Records).

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ALBUM REVIEW: Ghosts of Atlantis – Riddles of the Sycophants


 

Suffolk symphonic death metal masters Ghosts of Atlantis follow up their 2021 full-length debut with another journey to the faraway lands of myths and legend. A continuation of the events told on 3.6.2.4., Riddles of the Sycophants (Hammerheart Records) finds the remaining Atlanteans having washed ashore, word soon spreading about their survival and apparent favour from the gods. Creating unrest, these stories cause the seal on Pandora’s Box to be removed, the greed and desire of mankind once again forcing the Ghosts of Atlantis to intervene.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Shade Empire – Sunholy


 

The most impressive thing about Shade Empire’s new album Sunholy (Candlelight Records) is the range of dynamics it incorporates. However, if you need this to be a Black Metal album you might need to go hunt down the new Taake album or wait for Mayhem’s album to drop, but if you are open to metal that is melodic and offers a great deal of sonic colors then hear me out… 

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Andreas “Vintersorg” Hedlund Steps Down As the Lead Vocalist of Borknagar, ICS Vortex Takes Over


In a surprising lineup change, Andreas “Vintersorg” Hedlund has stepped down as the frontman and lead vocalist of Borknagar. Bassist and occasional lead singer ICR Vortex will now take over the role of lead vocalist. The band is at work on their new album, their 11th, and the follow up to the acclaimed Winter Thrice album on Century Media. The new album will be mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studio. You can read statements from Hedlund and the band below.

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Festival Preview: Inferno Metal Festival 2016


 

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Raise the horns! Inferno Festival hits Norway this week and for year 16 there is no sign of slowing down. A total of 42 bands, 25 from outside of Norway! From traditional black metal, to thrash, to tech death and more, many a fans music tastes will be delighted by Inferno! Headliners like Mayhem, Marduk, Mysticum, Exodus, Sodom Suffocation, Vader, Nile and Gorguts make this sure to be one of the best the fests history. For the third year in a row, Ghost Cult will be there to cover it!

 

Today kicks off with the club day featuring bands like headliner and thrash legends Exodus. They wil be joined by Gorguts, Psycroptic, Sahg, Vreidhammer, Mistur, 3rd Attempt, Dødsfall, and more.

 

Thursday night brings the major night of the fest with Marduk, Cattle Decapitation, Mysticum, Vader, ICS Vortex, and Shores of Null to name a few of major heavy hitters.

Inferno-Festival-Norway-2016 ghostcultmag

Friday might be the most well-rounded day of Inferno. Two death metal legends in Nile and Suffocation, thrash kings Sodom, Blood Red Throne, the epic Craft, Wormlust, The Crawling and more.

 

Just in time for Easter Sunday, Saturday night will close out the fest with Mayhem, Moonsorrow, Nifelheim, Månegarm , Order, and Nordjevel . As always there are vendors, a music conference, other kinds of entertainment and beer!

 

Tickets are still available, details below:

4 days festival pass (including club night): SOLD OUT!

3 days festival pass (without club night): 1500,- NOK. (including ticket fee)

http://www.billettservice.no/event/inferno-metal-festival-3-dagerspass-billetter/468605

Club day pass (only wednesday): 460,- NOK. (including ticket fee)

http://www.billettservice.no/event/inferno-metal-festival-klubbdag-billetter/474805

Thursday pass (Marduk, Vader, ICS Vortex) 600,- NOK. (including ticket fee)

http://www.billettservice.no/event/482975

Friday pass (Nile, Sodom, Blood Red Throne) 600,- NOK. (including ticket fee)

http://www.billettservice.no/event/482977

Saturday pass (Mayhem, Nifelheim, Order) 600,- NOK. (including ticket fee)

http://www.billettservice.no/event/482979

Tickets available at Billettservice (http://www.billettservice.no/). Phone: +47 81533133

http://www.infernofestival.net / http://www.facebook.com/InfernoMetalFestival

INFERNO HOTEL

http://www.infernofestival.net/hotelbooking

Single room: 725,00 NOK

Double room:

1 person: 999,00 NOK

2 persons: 999,00 NOK (499,50 per pers)

Superior room:

1 person: 1.180,00 NOK

2 persons: 1.280,00 NOK (640,00 per pers)

3 persons: 1.530,00 NOK (510,00 per pers)

Deluxe room:

1 person:1.280,00 NOK

2 persons: 1.380,00 NOK (690,00 per pers)

3 persons: 1.630,00 NOK (543,00 per pers)

Business Suite:

1 person: 1.480,00 NOK

2 persons: 1.680,00 NOK (840,00 per pers)

3 persons: 1.930,00 NOK (643,00 per pers)

4 persons: 2.180,00 NOK (545,00 per pers)

Executive Suite

1 person: 1980 NOK

2 persons: 2180 NOK (1090 per pers)

3 persons: 2430 NOK (810 per pers)

4 persons: 2680 NOK (670 per pers)

E-mail: inferno.christiania@choice.no

http://www.clarionroyalchristiania.no

Inferno Festival online

Inferno Festival on Facebook

 


Video: Borknagar -Winter Thrice


Borknagar Winter thrice

Norwegian black metal legends Borknagar has unveiled their début video for the title track of their forthcoming album, their tenth in their career. Winter Thrice releases on January 22nd, 2016 from Century Media Records. You can watch the video for the ‘Winter Thrice’ track at this link or below:

 

Directed by David Solbjorg and Kjetil Kolbjornsrud of Twitchy Films, the ‘Winter Thrice’ track features former/original vocalist and Ulver-mastermind Kristoffer Rygg on guest vocals.

 

Borknagar Guitarist and founder Øystein G. Brun commented about the video:

“Finally it’s time to present our brand new video for the song “Winter Thrice”. Being the title track for the 10th album, we wanted this to be something special. We are indeed a special band. The song and the video features all the 4 vocalists throughout our 20 years of adventure, including Kristoffer Rygg a.k.a. Garm, who was our very first vocalist back in the days. The video was produced by the eminent team from Twitchy Films and was captured at various locations in Norway; first and foremost at the amazing Midgard Historiske Senter at Borre, but also in the furious wilderness of the wintry Telemark. We all laid our hearts into this project, we hope that shines through! Enjoy and happy holidays!”

 

Borknagar 2-16

 

Borknagar Winter Thrice track listing:

1. The Rhymes Of The Mountain

2. Winter Thrice

3. Cold Runs The River

4. Panorama

5. When Chaos Calls

6. Erodent

7. Noctilucent

8. Terminus

Pre-Order Winter Thrice here:

http://smarturl.it/winterthriceITUNES

http://smarturl.it/wtAMAZONMP3

In celebration of the album release Borknagar has released a special branded, band-themed Beard Oil

Borknagar confirmed festival dates for 2016:

Jun 17 – 19: Graspop Metal Meeting – Dessel, BE
Jul 03: With Full Force – Roitzschjora, DE

Aug 04 – 06: Wacken, Wacken DE

 

Borknagar line-up:

Øystein G. Brun – Clean and Electric Guitars

Vintersorg – Grim Vocals, Clean Vocals and Choirs

Jens F. Ryland – Lead Guitars

ICS Vortex – Bass, Clean Vocals and Choirs

Lars A. Nedland – Keys, Clean Vocals and Choirs

Baard Kolstad – Drums

 

Borknagar online:

Borknagar’s Blog

Borknagar on Facebook

Borknagar on Twitter

 

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Gorguts And Psycroptic Added To Inferno Festival 2016


 

inferno fest 2016 banner

The Inferno Festival has added technical death metal masters Gorguts and Psycroptic to the fest for 2016. Inferno will be the first performance ever in Norway for each band. They now join Exodus, Mayhem, Marduk, Ics Vortex, Thaw, Craft, Nifelheim and Vader on the bill.

gorguts

Gorguts

psycroptic (1)

Psycroptic

Ticket Info:

4 days festival pass (including club night): 1800,- (including ticket fee)

3 days festival pass (without club night) 1500,- NOK. (including ticket fee)

Tickets available at Billettservice (http://www.billettservice.no/). Phone: +47 81533133

Inferno Festival online

Inferno Festival on Facebook


Arcturus – Arcturion


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I think that how excited you’re prepared to be about a new Arcturus album depends on what stage you were at in 1997 when they released La Masquerade Infernale (Music For Nations) in a burst of masks, frilly shirts and knowingly ludicrous poses. Though neither their first album nor universally the most popular, it was LMI that made them seem, no matter how briefly, so ferociously IMPORTANT. At a time when the Norwegian Black Metal scene was rapidly torn between fragmenting and shrinking into insular irrelevance, Arcturus were at the very forefront of the bands shining a torch into entirely new vistas.

Bold, dramatic, frequently funny and entirely possessed of itself, the combination of Hellhammer’s thundering drums, Garm’s gleefully pompous vocals and Sverd’s densely intricate instrumentation created something that Black Metal fans had genuinely never heard before. It cast a long shadow over the “avant garde” side of Black Metal (to the extent that they could truly be called that anymore) for years afterwards – even suffering that most 90’s of indulgences, the Remix Album – to the extent that though many fans preferred 2002’s more “progressive” The Sham Mirrors (Ad Astra Enterprises), it seemed to others like a futile attempt to recapture their brief majesty.

An odd choice to spend so long talking about an old album in a review of the new one, perhaps, but in this case the context is essential – because Arcturion (Prophecy) sees the also-ran, half-hearted entity that Arcturus have been over the last two albums shut the door behind them and let LMI Arcturus back into the room.  Everything that made that late 90’s classic so… well… CLASSIC is back in full force here, but they’ve also brought some new tricks learned over the last twenty years.

Once again every track has its own theme and spirit – the “carnivalesque” sound that has been part of their image since LMI is still present on tracks like ‘Bane’, but they’re no longer pounding it with repetitive monotony as they did on Sideshow Symphonies (Season Of Mist). Elsewhere ‘Ad Astra’s meditative cosmic vibe returns on ‘Warp’, ‘The Arcturion Sign’ conjures up found memories of ‘Master Of Disguise’ and ‘Angst’ even sees them recapturing some of their Black Metal fury far more successfully than they did on Sham Mirrors.

Which is all rather lovely, but makes it sound as though they’ve simply gone back to a twenty year old album and tried to recapture the formula. Fortunately, that’s not the case at all.  Firstly, they’ve broadened their palette noticeably – the driving, contemplative Rock of ‘Game Over’ and ‘Demon’s sleazy electronic Pop aren’t quite like anything they’ve recorded before, yet manage to retain the feel and character of both the band and the album. Secondly, and even more importantly, though is the undeniable feel that this band has grown up.  Maturity, such a difficult concept to pin down but easy one to recognise, shines in every second of Arcturion. They’re every bit as arrogant and forceful as they were on LMI, but precocious youth has now been replaced by the confidence of age. In Garm’s absence ICS Vortex (who sang LMI’s standout ‘The Chaos Path’) brings a range and depth that exceeds his predecessor’s bold but often limited operatics.

Arcturion is not likely to blow any modern listeners away in quite the shocking fashion that La Masquerade Infernale managed in 1997 – both the Metal scene and the way we engage with music have changed dramatically since those days – but in terms of musical excellence and thematic power it matches or even exceeds that classic album.

Whether or not you’ve ever engaged with Arcturus before, do so now.

 

9.0/10

Arcturus on Facebook

 

RICHIE HR


Borknagar Working On New Album, Original Vocalist On Two Songs


borknagar

Norwegian post black metallers Borknagar have began recording a new studio album to follow up 2012’s Urd!, and original vocalist Kristoffer Rygg (aka Garm/Fiery G Maelstrom/Trixter G) has recorded vocals for two songs. Jens Bogren is set to mix at Fascination Street Studio (Opeth, Kreator, Katatonia), and is expected out in late 2015 via Century Media Records.

Borknagar’s Øystein G. Brun (guitars) comments:

“These days, 20 years ago, Kristoffer and I hooked up for the very first time in Bergen to record vocals for the BORKNAGAR debut album. Glorious days, indeed. Last night I was barely asleep as I got the first vocal samples from Kristoffer late yesterday evening – and have been listening to the songs repeatedly since then. Being a former bandmate and a huge fan of his work ever since we parted ways back in the days, I certainly did expect a lot, but what he sent over this time around surpass every expectations. Really! Still trying to get my jaw back in position and the goosebumps seem to have turned chronic on me.

Kristoffer performs the lead vocals for one full song called ‘Winter Thrice’ and does additional vocals for another opus called ‘Terminus’.

Being a profoundly nostalgic person, this makes me reflect about how damn lucky I am to have been able to work with some of the finest vocalists in the world, throughout the years. Musically the upcoming album will be a celebration of just that. Along with the vocals of Vintersorg, ICS Vortex and Lazare, it should be needless to argue that this will be a very special album! Massively so! More info will follow soon!”

Borknagar on Facebook
Borknagar on Twitter


Arcturus Releasing Arcturian May 8th


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Arcturus has signed with Prophecy Productions and will release their fifth full length studio album Arcturian on May 8, 2015.

According to a press release:

Arcturus are legend. Unparalleled in creativity, musicianship and artistic approach since their foundation days, mastermind Steinar “Sverd” Johnsen and his cosmic crew consisting of past and present members of bands like Ulver, Mayhem, Dimmu Borgir, Borknagar and Ved Buens Ende have been dancing their very own tightrope between genius and madness ever since. With each of their releases being an interstellar journey of its own, and always ahead of their time, Arcturus can justifiably be labelled as the epitome of avant-garde metal.

Prophecy Productions feel honoured and are excited to welcome Arcturus to its artist roster and to accompany this milestone act on its upcoming enterprises. The first mutual work will be Arcturus’ fifth full-length studio album, “Arcturian“, which is scheduled for release on May 8th, 2015.

Pre-order for all physical products (ltd. Artbook 2CD, ltd. Gatefold LP, ltd. box sets, Digipak CD) is available now at http://en.prophecy.de/shop/arcturus-arcturian.html.

ICS Vortex on behalf of Arcturus says: “A new chapter, and a new prophetic partner…We are star tripping psyched to be releasing ‘Arcturian’ soon!”

Arcturus line-up 2015:
Simen “ICS Vortex” Hestnæs – vocals
Steinar “Sverd” Johnsen – keyboards
Knut Magne Valle – guitar
Hugh “Skoll” Mingay – bass
Jan Axel “Hellhammer” Blomberg – drums

Arcturus plan to make a short tour of European venues between 2nd – 10th May 2015. All dates will be announced next week via www.prophecy.de. Further European club shows and festivals will be announced later in the year and the band will also perform at Maryland Deathfest, Maryland, USA on 23rd of May 2015 , with extra South American dates to be announced shortly.”