24. Borknagar - "Fall"

Ahh Borknagar, the one band that keeps eluding me. You see I adore Borknagar. In many ways, they are the black metal equivalent of Opeth. They take a musical form that is in its raw state brittle and serrated, and then sculpt it into something quite eloquent and beautiful. On numerous occasions, I have been on the cusp of witnessing them live and on each of those occasions, fate, pandemics and life in general have got in the way. They remain just out of reach, tantalisingly close but simultaneously infuriatingly far.

They have been a going concern for close to 3 decades, but the last 15 years has been a particularly purple patch for them, pumping out a stellar run of five (including this one) quite incredible albums. “Fall” continues their penchant for creating widescreen cinematic metal that entices black metal’s anthemic qualities to the front.

Simply put this album sounds amazing, it is sumptuously produced and the soundscapes it creates are lush. It perfectly balances the harsh with deep textured melody and it just pulsates with intricate flourishes and in-depth ideas. It provides yet more proof to the argument that Borknagar are one of metal’s most impressive hidden treasures and all I hope now is they decide to visit the UK to promote this record.