Band:	Borgne
Album:	Y
Style:	Atmospheric black metal, Blackened industrial metal
Release date:	March 06, 2020
A review by:	Auntie Sahar

01. As Far As My Eyes Can See
02. Je Deviens Mon Propre Abysse
03. A Hypnotizing, Perpetual Movement That Buries Me In Silence
04. Derrière Les Yeux De La Création
05. Qui Serais-Je Si Je Ne Le Tentais Pas?
06. Paraclesium
07. A voice In The Land If Stars

Sometimes bands come through with releases that impress you to the point you say "damn, I really oughta be on the lookout for their future releases now." So when those future releases finally do come, it's a pretty special moment. Here I am in 2020 with Borgne.

The Swiss black metal four piece known as Borgne first drew my attention with their [∞] album, a hazy, swirling take on the usual atmospheric BM sound. I remember the one thing that stuck out to me about it was the hypnotic shade of industrial influence to it; though subtle, it was definitely present and helped give the album its signature edge. In 2020 with Y, Borgne now appear to have taken this aspect of their sound even farther. While it still probably would be a bit of a stretch to call this "industrial black metal," at least in the sense of other bands such as Blut Aus Nord or The Axis Of Perdition, the gritty electronic elements have definitely been added to the recipe in heavier dosage here. Whether it's in the form of breakdowns such as on "Je Deviens Mon Propre Abysse" or via extended ambient and electronic passages as on "Paraclesium," it definitely helps to make the music a lot more dynamic and give it a more engaging angle.

Still another interesting embellishment upon their usual sound that Borgne seem to have ramped up with Y is the usage of clean vocals. These are still used rather minimally, but their presence definitely appears to have increased slightly from past releases. Positioned carefully around moments of emotional or compositional crescendos, they now give the music that extra oomph it might sometimes need to go to the proverbial next level. "A Hypnotizing Perpetual Movement," perhaps the best track on the album, is the perfect example: with that start in the catchy, industrialized black metal riffing, a transition into more intense, upbeat territory toward the middle, and then a final climax in the form of a more sedating, midpaced delivery topped off by those magnificent, harmonized cleans.

Perhaps I'm not too qualified to speak on the matter as the only other Borgne album I've yet heard is [∞], but Y really feels like a proper maturation of the band's sound and all the various items in their tool kit. The compositions all seem better fleshed out and the different elements both harsh and more mellow go over a lot more effectively. If this is a sign of the type of delivery Bornge are going to be offering up going forward, I'm most definitely onboard.

Don't ask Y. By the album's end it will be very clear.