- Country: Norway
- Style: Progressive black metal
- Label: Century Media
- Release date: 27 September 2019
With Vintersorg gone, ICS Vortex takes the lead vocal role alone on True North, and the album is better for it. His clean voice has always been the most moving thing about this band, and here it gets the space it deserves.
“Thunderous” lives up to its name, blasting choral black metal with a huge, rolling chorus. “Up North” is the obvious single, a sing-along with a seventies warmth to the keys, while “Wild Father’s Heart” slows to a hypnotic, almost folk-like ballad that Vortex absolutely owns. “Mount Rapture” and “Into the White” bring back the harsher edges and some of the stomp of the early records.
Not everything is that strong. “Lights” feels like a song still waiting for its hook, and at nearly an hour the album could lose a few minutes. But the near ten-minute “Tidal” is gorgeous, and “Voices” closes the album gently. Borknagar sound renewed here.
Best tracks:
Up North
Thunderous
Wild Father’s Heart
Tidal
Author’s rating: 8.2/10
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