If this latest album from Norway's BORKNAGAR is any indication, fellow countrymen DIMMU BORGIR have lost the plot… big time! One man is responsible for what makes both these bands so stunningly beautiful and epic. One man whose vocal prowess transcends the confines of our earthly vessels, reaching beyond the ethereal planes of space and time. One man whose seraphic voice can summon goosebumps upon the flesh of grown men. This man, one ICS Vortex, standing at a hulking 6'7" of pure viking blood, is the least likely candidate to possess the voice of an angel fallen from the ruins of a heaven in flames. Yet, there he is, once again lending his exceptional talents to the band he last fronted some twelve years ago. Since his hiatus from the band, all those many years ago, Borknagar have waivered with their recorded output, their strongest effort since being 2001's Empricisim. Vortex's replacement in the vocal department, Vintersorg, is certainly remarkable in his own right, but never really struck the same chord, or hit the same jaw-dropping notes, to these ears, that is. With Urd, fans are treated to the mastery of both vocalists, as each lends his voice to various songs throughout the proceedings. My preference notwithstanding, the band has done an incredible job of matching vocal styles to suitable songs, which allows each vocalist the opportunity to shine where their respective registers make the most sense. Let us not forget there exists a mastermind behind the scenes. The person who creates the beautiful and majestic tapestries with which said vocals are interwoven. This daunting task, handled with precision and utmost care, is left to band mastermind, Oystein Brun. In Brun's more than capable hands, Urd is without fault. Each intro, bridge, passage, chorus, and outro exudes a warmness that is a stark contradiction to the themes at hand. Take for instance the album's defining moment, entitled 'Frostrite'. This song, though a hymn to eternal frost and harsh nordic landscapes, cuts through the soul like a heated dagger. It pierces the heart with its evocative and emotionally charged composition. I found myself completely enraptured by this song, and instinctively reached for the stars as Vortex's haunting voice sent me astral-travelling throughout the vast black expanse that is our universe. Each and every song on Urd is a new journey further into this darkness. This isn't to say the album doesn't have moments of pure elation. It's the sporadic glimpses of the light of nearby star clusters and galaxies that pull the listener from the universe's cold, dark grasp with a reaffirmation that there exists something beyond this void. What that might be certainly can't be answered by Borknagar, but one listen to Urd and you will feel that much closer to understanding what it all means.