Norway’s pioneers of avantgarde/progressive black metal BORKNAGAR have will release their 12th studio album, “Fall”, on February 23, 2024 via longtime record label partners Century Media Records.
“Fall” includes eight majestic tracks across 54 epic minutes of playing time, once again brilliantly mixed by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios (OPETH, AMON AMARTH, KREATOR) and featuring stunning album cover artwork by Eliran Kantor (TESTAMENT, MY DYING BRIDE, SODOM),which can be seen below.
BORKNAGAR founder and mastermind Øystein G. Brun comments: “We are extremely proud to present you all with our 12th album entitled ‘Fall’, another chapter of our musical journey. In many ways ‘Fall’ represents a continuation of ‘True North’, but as always, we are pushing further and afar to seek even broader and more challenging horizons. Musically we are loyal to our musical legacy, but we have most certainly walked through fire and ice to reach our highest peak yet. Although ‘Fall’ represents a wide array of musical and lyrical ideas, the fundamental theme behind the album is based on the fascination and appreciation of the very outskirts of life. Those places, and those beings, in the vast periphery of our own existence that very few live to see or even learn to know about- but still are profoundly essential for our existence. With ‘Fall’ we seek to portray and cherish all that holds up and pushes boundaries — against the great fall.”
Today, the album’s first single and opening track “Summits” is being launched and you can check it out in a visualizer clip created by Wanderley Perna of W Designer below.
Øystein G. Brun added the following words about the track: “From the day you are born, nature will do everything in its power to get you back into the ground. The lonesome struggle of being you or the mighty struggle of all life, will eventually tear you down from the inside — or from the outside. But for the short glimpse of time we endure, we all seek the ultimate heights of our very own existence. Our first single ‘Summits’, from the upcoming album ‘Fall’, scopes in on this everlasting drama of life — where the drama unfolds — at the very outskirts of life.”
“Fall” is the follow-up to 2019’s widely acclaimed “True North” studio album and will be available as limited first-pressing digipak CD, gatefold 2-LP on 180gr vinyl and as digital album with the following track listing:
01. Summits
02. Nordic Anthem
03. Afar
04. Moon
05. Stars Ablaze
06. Unraveling
07. The Wild Lingers
08. Northward
BORKNAGAR is (from left to right in photo by Jørn Veberg):
ICS Vortex – Bass, Vocals, Choirs
Lars A. Nedland – Keys, Vocals, Choirs
Øystein G. Brun – Guitar
Bjørn Dugstad Rønnow – Drums and Percussion
Jostein Thomassen – Guitar
In other news, BORKNAGAR recently returned from a highly successful Latin American tour and has already announced a first string of festival appearances for 2024, while further international touring to support the release of “Fall” will be revealed soon.