As such, the band's most known style would be that of progressive black metal, with most of their albums taking from this style. Borknagar's lyrics often deal with philosophy, paganism, nature, and the cosmos. Øystein Brun stated once that the name was inspired by a Scottish legend about a man who climbed Lochnagar, a mountain in Scotland.
Borknagar rose out of the ashes of the Norwegian death metal band Molested when then-member Øystein G. Brun became tired of the brutal aspects of the band's music. Øystein formed Borknagar to explore a more melodic outlet of expression; he wrote all of the music and lyrics and gathered together an all-star group of black metal musicians to play in his band. Well-known musicians of the black metal scene (such as Infernus of Gorgoroth, Grim of Immortal and Gorgoroth, Ivar Bjørnson from Enslaved, Garm of Ulver, Head Control System, and ex-Arcturus) joined the project, bringing immediate attention to Borknagar. The band never even recorded a demo – they simply asked for a record contract on Malicious Records and were granted their request. Borknagar's majestic, melodic sound was instantly liked by many and received positive press attention.
Borknagar has released ten albums to date. Their self-titled debut album features lyrics in Norwegian; all subsequent albums have featured lyrics written in English by both ICS Vortex from Arcturus and Dimmu Borgir and later by current singer, Vintersorg from Otyg and his eponymous band (Vintersorg). All of the band's records (excluding the original pressing of the debut album via Malicious Records) have been released by the Century Media label. Borknagar has toured with various bands, including the well-known Cradle of Filth.
Simen Hestnæs rejoined the band in 2010. Since then he and Vintersorg have shared lead vocal duties.
Discography:
1996 - Borknagar
1997 - The Olden Domain
1998 - The Archaic Course
2000 - Quintessence
2001 - Empiricism
2002 - Urd
2004 - Epic
2006 - Origin
2010 - Universal
2012 - Urd
2016 - Winter Thrice
2019 - True North
Members:
Current Members
* Vintersorg (Andreas Hedlund) - Vocals
* Øystein G. Brun - Guitar
* Lazare (Lars Nedland) - Keyboard
* Jens Ryland - Guitar
* ICS Vortex (Simen Hestnæs) - Vocals, Bass
* Baard Kolstad - Drums
Former Members
* Garm (Kristoffer Rygg) - Vocals
* Asgeir Mickelson - Drums
* Kai Lie - Bass
* Infernus - Bass
* Ivar Bjørnson - Keyboard
* Grim (Erik Brødreskift) - Drums (Causa mortis: Suicide. 1969 - 1999.10.04.)
* Tyr (Jan Erik Tiwaz) - Bass - Session Member for Origin album
* David Kinkade - Drums
Revolt
Borknagar Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Spilt the blood upon existence
Tracing trails, a furious tail
Barely touching the mirror of reality
The deformation of what depression denote
A spiritual fusion, drown in conclusions
Derail the path, the course that
The solar solace within the hideous
Here upon the heralds of dawn
The dawn of eternity
A northern notability
Revoke the revival of revolt
Burn the treason, the trinity
Yearn the heat of the fire
Face yesterdays tomorrow
The heralds of the past
The winds of a history cast
The profound spiritual fusion
Glimpse inward to my world
A fragment of fire, hordes of imagery
An illumination of all illustrations
The solar solace within the hideous
Here upon the heralds of dawn
The dawn of eternity
A northern notability
Barely touching the mirror of reality
The deformation of what depression denote
A spiritual fusion, drown in conclusions
Derail the path, the course that
I fed the fire with my flesh and desire
Spilt the blood upon existence
Tracing trails, a furious tail
To the centre of chaos
Burn the treason, the trinity
Yearn the heat of the fire
Face yesterdays tomorrow
The heralds of the past
The winds of a history cast
The profound spiritual fusion
Glimpse inward to my world
The lyrics to Borknagar's song Revolt are rich with symbolism and imagery, requiring some interpretation to grasp their meaning. The first stanza speaks of sacrificing oneself to the fire of desire, spilling blood on existence and leaving behind a furious tale. This seems to be a call to action, urging the listener to pursue their passions with intensity and leave behind a legacy that will be remembered. The second stanza delves into the theme of depression, describing it as a deformation of reality that leads to spiritual fusion and drown in conclusions. This may be a commentary on the negative effects that mental health issues can have on a person's perception of the world, and the need to find a way to break out of that cycle.
The third stanza introduces the concept of a "solar solace" within the hideous, suggesting that there is a positive aspect to even the darkest parts of life. The use of the term northern notability ties this idea to the band's Norwegian roots and the harsh beauty of the Nordic landscape. The final stanza repeats the call to action from earlier in the song, urging the listener to burn treason and yearn for the heat of the fire. The heralds of the past and the winds of history cast suggest that this is not just about personal growth, but also about a larger societal or historical revolt.
Line by Line Meaning
I fed the fire with my flesh and desire
I sacrificed my physical body and my internal drive, feeding them to a burning flame of passion.
Spilt the blood upon existence
I shed my own blood, staining the fabric of reality
Tracing trails, a furious tail
My journey leaves behind a trail of intensity and rage
Barely touching the mirror of reality
I am only slightly connected to the tangible world around me
The deformation of what depression denote
What is typically associated with depression takes on a distorted, perplexing state
A spiritual fusion, drown in conclusions
My soul merges with something greater, and I am inundated with definitive insights
Derail the path, the course that
I deliberately disrupt the established journey I was on
The solar solace within the hideous
The beauty of the sun lies within the ugliness surrounding it
Here upon the heralds of dawn
Emanating from the beginning of a new era
The dawn of eternity
The onset of timeless existence
A northern notability
A distinguished element of the north
Revoke the revival of revolt
Undo the resurgence of a rebellion
Burn the treason, the trinity
Eradicate the betrayal of a group of three
Yearn the heat of the fire
Craving the intense passion of the flames
Face yesterdays tomorrow
Confronting the consequences of previous actions in a future that is now the present
The heralds of the past
The messengers of all that has gone before
The winds of a history cast
The forces of time that shape the past and present
The profound spiritual fusion
A deep, meaningful combining of the soul and something greater
Glimpse inward to my world
A brief look into the inner state of my being
A fragment of fire, hordes of imagery
A small piece of intense passion, but an abundance of vivid images
An illumination of all illustrations
A light shining on every representation
To the centre of chaos
Moving towards the heart of disorder and confusion
Lyrics © RESERVOIR MEDIA MANAGEMENT INC
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