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Borknagar - Quintessence



8.1 | 260 votes |
Release date: 2000
Style: Melodic black metal, Progressive black metal

Owners:

308 have it
18 want it


01. Rivalry Of Phantoms
02. The Presence Is Ominous
03. The Ruins Of Future
04. Colossus
05. Inner Landscape
06. Invincible
07. Icon Dreams
08. Genesis Torn
09. Embers
10. Revolt

Line-up
Simen "ICS Vortex" Hestnæs - vocals, bass
Øystein Garnes Brun - guitar
Jens F. Ryland - guitar
Asgeir Mickelson - drums
Lars Are "Lazare" Nedland - keyboards

Additional info
Produced by Borknagar.
All songs arranged by Borknagar, 1999.
Recorded and mixed at Abyss Studio, January 2000.
Engineered by Peter Tägtgren and Lars Szöke.
Mixed by Peter Tägtgren.
Mastered by Tom Kvålsvoll at Strype Audio, February 7th, 2000.
Cover design and logo redesign by Asgeir Mickelson.

Found in 11 lists
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Comments

Comments: 13   Visited by: 311 users
08.04.2012 - 03:34
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
One of my first black metal albums. Nice to reminisce, still a great record, even if that is nostalgia talking.
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08.04.2012 - 03:57
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Written by [user id=35732] on 08.04.2012 at 03:55

Has some BM stylish parts, but I wouldn't call it a BM album. Really great anyway.

In my mind Borknagar have always been a black metal band first and foremost. I've never bought into the progressive metal tag they get tarred with from time to time.
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08.04.2012 - 04:05
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Written by [user id=35732] on 08.04.2012 at 04:03

Ye, my opinion differs a bit. Reminds me of (modern) Enslaved. Both have some typical BM elements but the albums are just too far from BM.

Enslaved is another band who've always been black metal to me. I certainly don't call them viking metal, and neither do I call Windir viking metal either. I don't call any band viking metal really. Both (Borknagar and Enslaved) are progressive black, or something to that effect. To me anyway.
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08.04.2012 - 04:08
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Written by [user id=35732] on 08.04.2012 at 04:07

I accept.

*thumb up*
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22.03.2013 - 23:38
Rating: 8
musicalkaratekid
An album that shows Borknagar's ever further progression from BM territory into new and unfamiliar sounds. It still has a great atmosphere as is expected from the band yet with songs as somewhat experimental as 'The presence is ominous' and 'Icon dreams' this atmosphere is made ever more epic and ambitious.
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23.03.2013 - 05:12
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
How this isn't everyone's fave Bork album is a curiosity to me.Then agin it was one of my first black-ish records ever (pretty much reiterating what I said in my first post).
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18.07.2014 - 10:10
Rating: 6
M C Vice
ex-polydactyl
Would like it more if it had better vocals. Don't think much of Vortex's harsh voice.
----
"I'm here to nunchuck and not wear helmets. And I'm all out of helmets."
"I'll fight you on one condition. That you lower your nipples."
" 'Tis a lie! Thy backside is whole and ungobbled, thou ungrateful whelp!"
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02.01.2015 - 21:59
Rating: 9
Hex_Omega
Gem Seeker
Written by [user id=4365] on 23.03.2013 at 05:12

How this isn't everyone's fave Bork album is a curiosity to me.Then agin it was one of my first black-ish records ever (pretty much reiterating what I said in my first post).

Also one of my first black metal albums I fall in love with 'Colossus' immediately after first listen.
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02.01.2015 - 22:01
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted
Written by Hex_Omega on 02.01.2015 at 21:59

Also one of my first black metal albums I fall in love with 'Colossus' immediately after first listen.

Probably my fave song off this album actually. I need to revisit this for nostalgia reasons (and because it's great).
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02.01.2015 - 22:17
Rating: 9
Hex_Omega
Gem Seeker
The funny fact: I discovered this album because once I was a huge fan of Dimmu Borgir (it was in 2005 maybe) and I realized that Vortex is singing on this album. My first impression was: 'cool album, cool vocals from Vortex, but who is that second singer... his vocals could have been better'
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28.01.2015 - 23:16
Bad English
Tage Westerlund
Revoltt is excellent song, I love it .. maybe my second fab from this band (try to guess what is 1th)
Nice melodic stuff, hard to define it, not BM for shore, great melodies, singing style, guitar passage, calmer vox, growler vox, simply hood album.... I did listen it on the way to Boden, than back to Luleå(and nice to see Swe army guys in training as well ) maybe that's why I like it, snow, snow, woods, forests , darkness. good feelings , great album
----
I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens.

Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"

I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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28.02.2015 - 17:46
Rating: 9
Therapy?
Went through some old nostalgic albums that I own and I realized I never rated this album. Man, even today this is still a phenomenal piece of musicianship. I love Vortex' voice, and I find Colossus to be Borknagar's best song ever.

I've never cared much for Vintersorg's voice, and thus the follow-ups to this album were all much less interesting to me. With Vortex being back in Urd, though, that album brings me back to this era
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09.11.2015 - 03:04
Rating: 8
One of my favorite albums with vortex, I like his performance here, also first album with lazare, which gave the modern borknagar sound, I like it. Colossus and revolt (both epic) are best tracks.
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