The Olden Domain - Borknagar

'The Olden Domain' is Borknagar's second album and final with vocalist Garm, and is the first to explore progressive areas of black metal after the less deviant Viking black metal of their debut. A fine balance is struck between harsh black metal and lighter, more atmospheric passages exploring the band's nostalgic and spiritual themes of ancient Norway, usually veering back and forth within each song, but the music never becomes overly aggressive. Garm's distinctive singing style, also heard in Ulver in Arcturus, lends an eccentric flair to some of these songs and paves the way for his predecessors, particularly in 'The Winterway' and 'To Mount and Rove' ...  Read the complete review