Borgne - IV

Borgne - IV

Looking at the dark, misty forest that serves as a cover for Borgne’s fourth venture, then noticing that the album (and all of Borgne’s other albums) is numbered; one might be led to believe that IV is but a repeat of what oh-so-many other black metal bands have done in the past. And you know what? Whoever came into this review thinking this is completely right. BUT although bringing nothing new to the table, Borgne’s takes what has been left on the table and recreates it with the same amount of talent, depth and emotion as the great bands of the 90’s that created and pioneered the genre.

It will come as no surprise that the album starts off on the wrong foot with a boring, uninspired “ambient” track made-up of cheap wind sounds and other effects that are harder to identify. But after bringing our expectations all the way down, Borgne come right back with Sedna and shoots them back up.

Throughout the album, Bornyhake (the man behind the band) spews out intense, atmospheric music very reminiscent of the 90’s scene but adding a slight industrial touch to it. Now don’t come in here expecting techno breaks and psychedelic keyboards. Borgne’s uses this added touch with the furious guitar chords and battering drum beats to create atmospheres so dense you can almost see the fog appearing in your room. Everything is layered together so tightly as to not let any cracks appear in the wall of sound that is being sent your way.

In between the generic intro track and the generic closing track, the album is relentless. The guitars unleash a fury of heavily distorted chords and a small amount of tremolo picking that couples itself with unrelenting drums to create the basic heavy angry sound necessary for this style of music. The drums are often used to complement the guitars by slowing down/speeding up to change the atmosphere of a riff or adding some bass which can dramatically increase the intensity of a passage.

The keyboards are inserted right in the middle of the mix; neither buried under the mix nor taking the forefront. Their use is crucial to achieving the sound found on IV. The slow repetition of a section is great at accentuating the plodding rhythm found in the songs. Also the distant sound of the keys only increases the heavy atmospheres already created by the guitars.

The vocals are, for the most part, the basic angry shriek found in your average black metal but there are a few well placed low growls thrown in for effect. This style, although not in any way new or original, fits with the music and does work with the angry ambience of the album.

So although not bringing anything new, Borgne manages to revive the style of quality black metal that was lost somewhere near the end of the 90’s and adds hi own personal touch to it. This is a great listen for all those that find themselves dissatisfied with the modern scene and want a little blast from the past.

Original review at: http://www.sputnikmusic.com/

Black Metal, Switzerland
Full-length, Sepulchral Productions
March 31st, 2009

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