Vinter's end

Aw, damn!

Read this late but Andreas Hedlund aka Vintersorg had left the Borknagar camp. I've always considered his vocals to be a signature standard in this music genre. So that makes two- Ryland & Vintersorg, key members of the band now pursuing a quieter profession but not out of the scene entirely.

With that, ICS Vortex will now assume lead vocals role & we rest in the knowledge that he is one heck of a vocal powerhouse in & out of the band.

Ryland ESP

PIC: espguitars.com

Borknagar fans will know him- Jens Ryland. He had been playing Gibson all along but look what we see here- an LTD Eclipse & a 7-string as well. 

I'm not here to promote the ESP/ LTD brand name, really. I'm here to remind us that over time, when we feel there is an urge to change, why not give it a go. We can always go back to our initial preferences but we sure would benefit from a fresh brace. T.his way, we have more 'likes' to work with. That's surely a good thing, yes?

Current spin

Some new release I've acquired (from Inokii) & listening to:

• Meshuggah: Koloss. I'm a big fan of the band (not just the guitar duo there). The current music scene has a label genre for what these guys have been doing for years- DJENT. It's a pathetic label, Meshuggah had been peddling heavy music their style, people appreciate what they are doing & attempt to refer to it conveniently. One more time: There's no djent, just Meshuggah & the music thereafter.
• Naglfar: Teras. A re-emergence by one of the flag bearers of black metal, not quite refreshing but essential.
• Borknagar: Urd. Still listening to this one, holding back all opinions on it.
• Morbid Angel: Illud... remixes. Majority of the tracks here are annoying. But I'm glad I bought it. Strange, but true... more on this to come.

Tyr's bass

Jan Erik Tiwaz is better known in the black metal circle as Tyr. He is an accomplished musician, choosing the bass as his instrument of choice. I first heard him play in Borknagar's Empiricism, I clearly heard a fretless bass being used & thought the guy employing it in this musical context must be someone to be reckoned with, music-wise, that is. He also did a live session for Emperor's Emperial Live Ceremony. In the DVD footage of this 1999 London performance, Tyr played through the set pick-less; it was his right hand keeping up with Trym's endless drum attack as well as Samoth/ Ihsahn's furious guitar domination. I was very impressed to say the least. Recently, Tyr has rejoined Borknagar as a full-time member & endorsed by the Norwegian master luthier, Listerud, which brings us to...

...the bass you see above. I was browsing the 'net for bass players embracing more than 6 strings & Tyr was on the list. It's one of his new custom made 8-string models featuring a fretless fingerboard & everything monsterous. Our hindsight tells us a musician's accomplishments through the instrument he embraces.