Borknagar is a Norwegian heavy metal band from

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

, founded in 1995 by Øystein Garnes Brun. The band's style combines

black metal Black metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. Common traits include Tempo#Beats per minute, fast tempos, a Screaming (music)#Black metal, shrieking vocal style, heavily distorted Electric guitar, guitars played with t ...

and

folk metal Folk metal is a fusion genre of heavy metal music and traditional folk music that developed in Europe during the 1990s. It is characterised by the widespread use of folk instruments and, to a lesser extent, traditional singing styles (for exampl ...

with

progressive Progressive may refer to: Politics * Progressivism, a political philosophy in support of social reform ** Progressivism in the United States, the political philosophy in the American context * Progressive realism, an American foreign policy par ...

and melodic elements. Borknagar's lyrics often deal with

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

paganism Paganism (from classical Latin ''pāgānus'' "rural", "rustic", later "civilian") is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christianity, early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions ot ...

nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...

and the

cosmos The cosmos (, ) is another name for the Universe. Using the word ''cosmos'' implies viewing the universe as a complex and orderly system or entity. The cosmos, and understandings of the reasons for its existence and significance, are studied in ...

History

Borknagar was founded by

Øystein Brun Øystein Garnes Brun (born 14 April 1975) is the guitarist and founder of the Norwegian black metal supergroup Borknagar. He has been the only permanent member of the group and has written almost all of their songs. Brun is noted for having many ...

, then a member of the Norwegian

death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling vocals; aggressive, powerful drumming, feat ...

band Molested, when he became tired of the brutal aspects of the band's music. Øystein formed Borknagar to explore a more melodic outlet of expression, inspired by the burgeoning

movement Norway was experiencing and looking to push the boundaries of what was considered "traditional" black metal music. He wrote all of the music and lyrics and gathered together an all-star group of black metal musicians to play in his band, such as

Infernus Roger Tiegs (born 18 June 1972 in Umeå), better known by his stage name Infernus, is a Norwegian black metal musician and Satanist. He is the sole founding member and chief ideologist of the black metal band Gorgoroth, which was formed in 19 ...

Gorgoroth Gorgoroth is a Norwegian black metal band based in Bergen. It was formed in 1992 by guitarist Infernus, who is also the only original member remaining, and the band have since released nine studio albums. Gorgoroth are a Satanic band and have ...

, Grim of

Immortal Immortality is the ability to live forever, or eternal life. Immortal or Immortality may also refer to: Film * ''The Immortals'' (1995 film), an American crime film * ''Immortality'', an alternate title for the 1998 British film '' The Wisdom of ...

and

Ivar Bjørnson Ivar Skontorp Peersen, best known by his stage name Ivar Bjørnson (born 27 November 1977 in Etne), is a Norwegian composer/guitarist for the progressive black/viking metal band Enslaved. Biography Bjørnson is, along with Grutle Kjellson, o ...

of Enslaved. When Garm of

Ulver Ulver (Norwegian for "wolves") is a Norwegian experimental electronica band founded in 1993, by vocalist Kristoffer Rygg. Their early works, such as debut album '' Bergtatt'', were categorised as folklore-influenced black metal, but the band h ...

Head Control System Head Control System is a cross-national rock/metal band featuring Portuguese Daniel Cardoso (ex-Sirius and ex-Re:aktor) and Norwegian Kristoffer Rygg (of Ulver and ex-Arcturus and ex-Borknagar). Head Control System is currently part of North-Am ...

and

Arcturus , - bgcolor="#FFFAFA" , Note (category: variability): , , H and K emission vary. Arcturus is the brightest star in the northern constellation of Boötes. With an apparent visual magnitude of −0.05, it is the third-brightest of th ...

joined the project, it brought the band immediate attention. The band never even recorded a demo; they simply asked for a record contract on Malicious Records and were granted their request based on the strength of this lineup. Borknagar's music instantly gained fans and received positive press attention. In 1999, Grim committed suicide using sleeping pills. He was replaced by Justin Greaves who left shortly after to be replaced by

Asgeir Mickelson Asgeir Mickelson (born 30 September 1969) is a Norwegian musician, artist, photographer and music reviewer. Although primarily known as a drummer, he is also a skilled guitarist and bassist. Biography He has stated on his official message board ...

. Borknagar has released eleven albums to date. Their self-titled debut album features lyrics solely in Norwegian; all subsequent albums have featured lyrics written in English exclusively (however, ''The Olden Domain'' featured an instrumental track titled in Norwegian). Aside from Brun's lyrical contributions, the band has featured lyrics by other members as well:

ICS Vortex Simen Hestnæs (born 4 March 1974), better known by his stage name ICS Vortex or simply Vortex, is a Norwegian musician. He is the vocalist of the similarly named band ICS Vortex, the avant-garde metal band Arcturus and the doom metal band Lamen ...

from

and ex-

Dimmu Borgir Dimmu Borgir () is a Norwegian symphonic black metal band from Jessheim, formed in 1993. The name is derived from Dimmuborgir, a volcanic formation in Iceland, the name of which means "dark cities" or "dark castles/fortresses" in Icelandic, ...

, drummer

, keyboardist

Lars Nedland Lars Are Nedland (born 13 May 1976), known also as Lazare, from Kristiansand, Norway, is the vocalist, drummer, and keyboardist for acclaimed avant-garde black metal band Solefald. He is also keyboardist for the progressive black metal act Bor ...

and more recently by current vocalist

Vintersorg Vintersorg (; "Winter Sorrow" in English) is a Swedish band from Skellefteå, formed in 1994 under the name Vargatron (Wolfthrone in English). Musically, Vintersorg has covered a wide number of heavy metal genres; while the band is mostly ro ...

from

Otyg Otyg are a folk metal band from Sweden, featuring Andreas Hedlund, the frontman for Vintersorg. During their existence, Otyg released two albums with songs written in traditional Scandinavian folk style, featuring traditional Scandinavian instr ...

and his eponymous band. Bassist

Jan Erik Tiwaz Jan Erik Tiwaz, aka Tyr (born 22 June 1972) is the former bassist for the Norwegian black/folk metal band Borknagar. He is known for his progressive playing style in black metal and his use of extended range basses. He also made of use of these in ...

(a.k.a. Tyr) wrote the song 'The View of Everlast'. All of the band's records (excluding the original pressing of the debut album) have been released by the label

Century Media A century is a period of 100 years. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A centennial or ...

. Borknagar has toured with various bands including

Emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

Peccatum Peccatum was an avant-garde metal band from Norway. Their influences range from black metal, progressive metal, industrial music, symphonic metal and gothic metal to European classical music and contemporary music. History Peccatum was formed ...

In Flames In Flames is a Swedish heavy metal band, formed by guitarist Jesper Strömblad in Gothenburg in 1990. Alongside At the Gates and Dark Tranquillity, In Flames pioneered the genres known as Swedish death metal and melodic death metal. During t ...

Morbid Angel Morbid Angel is an American death metal Death metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep growling ...

and

Cradle of Filth Cradle of Filth are an English extreme metal band formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved originally from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic metal and other metal genres. Their ly ...

. Borknagar released a lighter album, ''

Origin Origin(s) or The Origin may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics and manga * Origin (comics), ''Origin'' (comics), a Wolverine comic book mini-series published by Marvel Comics in 2002 * The Origin (Buffy comic), ''The Origin'' (Bu ...

'', which is "an acoustic effort based entirely on the epic and progressive aspect of the band", according to Øystein G. Brun's statement on

Blabbermouth.net Blabbermouth.net is a website dedicated to heavy metal and hard rock news, as well as album and music DVD reviews. Blabbermouth.net was founded and is run by Borivoj Krgin. The first version of the website was launched in March 2001; in October ...

. In late December 2007, the band signed a three-album deal with the Norwegian label Indie Recordings. In March 2008, Asgeir posted an announcement from Øystein on UltimateMetal forums stating that Erik Tiwaz and

Jens F. Ryland Jens Fredrik Ryland (born 5 May 1974) is a Norwegian guitarist most notable for his work with the heavy metal band Borknagar. He is known also for being the founder of the Inferno Festival in Oslo. Biography Jens was born in Narvik, Norway and g ...

had again become official members of the band, and that the band were aiming for a January 2009 release. In May 2008, Øystein released another statement announcing Asgeir's departure as the band's drummer, due to "evolving differences in musical ideas and visions ..The split happens in friendly manner and with mutual respect for the decision that he has made. He will remain a good friend of the band." A new drummer, the American

David Kinkade David Kinkade (born August 25, 1983) is an American metal drummer. History David Kinkade was born in New Jersey in 1983. At the age of three, he started picking up drums after his grandfather gave him his first drum kit. He has become known f ...

, who has worked with Arsis and Malevolent Creation has joined the band since. In April 2009, the band announced that their upcoming album is titled ''

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal ** Universal TV, a t ...

''. The album, scheduled for a September release was postponed to a February 2010 release. In early June 2010, Jan Erik Tiwaz left the bass guitarist position of Borknagar due to "general disagreements", and ICS Vortex replaced him and Vintersorg on the upcoming tour. Also in June 2010, the band announced their first tour of South America, with

on vocals. On 25 August 2010, the band announced that they were forced to cancel the South American tour due to reasons beyond their control. In January 2011, the deal with Indie Recordings were terminated and on 28 March 2011 Borknagar signed a new worldwide 3 album deal with Century Media Records. On 22 April 2011, the band officially announced the return of ICS Vortex on both bass and vocals. Drummer

Dave Kinkade David Kinkade (born August 25, 1983) is an American metal drummer. History David Kinkade was born in New Jersey in 1983. At the age of three, he started picking up drums after his grandfather gave him his first drum kit. He has become known f ...

announced on his official

Facebook Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...

page on 25 October 2011 that he had "mutually parted ways with Borknagar" and that he'll "be focusing 100% on

Soulfly Soulfly is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1997, and later based out of Phoenix, Arizona. Soulfly is led by former Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera, who formed the band after he left the Brazilian group in 199 ...

now". On 22 February 2012, it was announced on the Norwegian website Artisan that the new drummer for the band would be Baard Kolstad. Throughout 2014 and into 2015, the band had been hard at work writing and recording their next full-length album, ''

Winter Thrice ''Winter Thrice'' is the tenth studio album by Norwegian heavy metal band Borknagar. This is the only album to feature drummer Baard Kolstad and the last to feature longtime members Vintersorg and Jens F. Ryland. Track listing Personnel Bo ...

''. Production had to be delayed due to injuries vocalist Vintersorg suffered in late 2014 but the recording was concluded in June. Original vocalist

Kristoffer Rygg Kristoffer Rygg (born 9 September 1976), also known as Garm, Trickster G. Rex and God Head, is a heavy-metal vocalist, musician and producer known primarily for his work with Ulver, Arcturus, and Borknagar. Biography Born in Oslo but raised i ...

provided guest vocals on the aforementioned record. In early 2019, it was reported that long-time vocalist Vintersorg has parted ways with the band due to conflicting issues with his work and family, as well as the after effects of his 2014 injuries. The split was amicable and he has not ruled out being a guest on a future album. As well, drummer Baard Kolstad also parted ways due to lack of time due to his other in-demand projects. ICS Vortex has since reassumed the role of lead vocalist and Kolstad was replaced by Bjørn Dugstad Rønnow (at Kolstad's recommendation). Despite these setbacks, Borknagar released their eleventh album, ''True North'', on 27 September 2019.

Musical style

Their musical style has been described as

progressive metal Progressive metal (sometimes shortened to prog metal) is a broad :Fusion music genres, fusion music genre melding heavy metal music, heavy metal and progressive rock, combining the loud "aggression" and amplified electric guitar, guitar-driven s ...

Viking metal Viking metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music characterized by a lyrical and thematic focus on Norse mythology, Norse paganism, and the Viking Age. Viking metal is quite diverse as a musical style, to the point where some consider it more a cr ...

and

avant-garde metal Avant-garde metal (also known as avant-metal, experimental metal, and experimental) is a subgenre of heavy metal music loosely defined by use of experimentation and innovative, avant-garde elements, including non-standard and unconventional soun ...

Members

Current members

Øystein G. Brun Øystein is a Norwegian given name of Old Norse origins. One of its variants is Östen which is mostly used in Sweden. Notable people with the name include: *Øystein Aarseth (1968–1993), Norwegian guitarist (pseudonym Euronymous), co-founder o ...

– guitar *

(Simen Hestnæs) – lead and backing vocals , bass *

Lazare Lazare is the French and Georgian form of the given name Lazarus, which is itself derived from the Hebrew name Eleazar. It is also a surname. Lazare may refer to: Given name * Lazare de Baïf (1496–1547), French diplomat and humanist * Lazare ...

(Lars A. Nedland) – keyboard, backing and lead vocals * Bjørn Dugstad Rønnow – drums * Jostein Thomassen – guitar

Former members

(Roger Tiegs) – bass * Garm (Kristoffer Rygg) – lead and backing vocals *

– keyboard * Grim (Erik Brødreskift) – drums * Kai K. Lie – bass *

– guitar * Justin Greaves – drums *

– drums , bass and additional guitars * Tyr (Jan Erik Tiwaz) – bass *

(Andreas Hedlund) – lead and backing vocals, additional guitar and keyboards *

– drums * Baard Kolstad – drums ;Touring members * Athera (Pål Mathiesen) - lead and backing vocals

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums

*''

Borknagar Borknagar is a Norwegian heavy metal band from Bergen, founded in 1995 by Øystein Garnes Brun. The band's style combines black metal and folk metal with progressive and melodic elements. Borknagar's lyrics often deal with philosophy, paganis ...

'' (1996, Malicious,

Century Black Century Media Records is a heavy metal record label with offices in the United States, Germany and London. In August 2015, Century Media was acquired by Sony Music for US$17 million. Background Century Media was founded by Robert Kampf and Oli ...

) *'' The Olden Domain'' (1997, Century Black) *''

The Archaic Course ''The Archaic Course'' is the third studio album by Norwegian heavy metal band Borknagar. It is the first album to feature Simen "ICS Vortex" Hestnæs on vocals following the departure of Kristoffer "Garm" Rygg (who, according to Øystein Brun, ...

'' (1998,

) *'' Quintessence'' (2000, Century Media) *''

Empiricism In philosophy, empiricism is an epistemological theory that holds that knowledge or justification comes only or primarily from sensory experience. It is one of several views within epistemology, along with rationalism and skepticism. Empir ...

'' (2001, Century Media) *''

Epic Epic commonly refers to: * Epic poetry, a long narrative poem celebrating heroic deeds and events significant to a culture or nation * Epic film, a genre of film with heroic elements Epic or EPIC may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and medi ...

'' (2004, Century Media) *''

'' (2006, Century Media) *''

'' (2010, Indie Recordings) *'' Urd'' (2012, Century Media) *''

'' (2016, Century Media) *''

True North True north (also called geodetic north or geographic north) is the direction along Earth's surface towards the geographic North Pole or True North Pole. Geodetic north differs from ''magnetic'' north (the direction a compass points toward the ...

'' (2019, Century Media)

Compilation albums

*''For the Elements (1996–2006)'' (2008, Century Media)

References

External links

*
Borknagar official forum (at UltimateMetal)
*
Borknagar
(Inside Articles at ArtisanNorway) {{DEFAULTSORT:Borknagar Norwegian folk metal musical groups Norwegian black metal musical groups Norwegian viking metal musical groups Viking metal musical groups Norwegian progressive metal musical groups Avant-garde metal musical groups Heavy metal supergroups Musical groups established in 1995 1995 establishments in Norway Century Media Records artists Musical groups from Bergen Articles which contain graphical timelines