The Great Collection Rediscovery

Album: Quintessence

Obtained From: Online

Total Previous Track Last.fm Scrobbles: 199 (10 Tracks)

Old Rating: 5/5

Verdict: Borknagar's other best album and the one I've played the most often. This is the point where they started to get more progressive, but still very rooted in black metal. It has some of the most epic (melodic) black metal tracks I've ever heard on it. By rights it's another one that doesn't need an entry on this blog, but I'm all in now. Maybe one day every CD I own will have an entry here. 

New Rating: No Change

Keeper? No...nah just kidding. 

Album: Borknagar

Obtained From: Ebay

Total Previous Track Last.fm Scrobbles: 68 (10 Tracks)

Old Rating: 4.5/5

Verdict: Borknagar is one of those bands I periodically have phases with and as such have accumulated a high number of plays on Last.fm, but I always struggle to accept as an actual favourite band. There are a couple of releases of theirs I love, some very good ones and some merely solid ones. This debut is their most pure black metal record and certainly them at their most raw, a far cry from what they're doing now, and my first step on going through their discography, both the ones I own (which will all feature on this blog) and the ones I don't. Maybe this time around I'll finally convince myself that they're a favourite. As far as this one goes it's in the 'very good' group, but it's not one I'd reach for as often as the two favourites. 

New Rating: No Change.

Keeper? Yep. 

Album: On This Perfect Day

Obtained From: Amazon

Times Previously Listened: 13+

Old Rating: 4.5/5

Verdict: It's been a while for this one from Arjen Lucassen's many projects. More melodic prog rock than I remember it being, with bursts of metal adding a light/heavy dynamic. Another one that I listened to a lot about a decade ago but hasn't left the shelf for a few years. It's not my favourite Lucassen work but it's one that doesn't deserve such neglect as well. My last spin was in 2015 according to Last.fm data. 

New Rating: No Change.

Keeper? Absolutely. 

Album: Icons of the Dark

Obtained From: Ebay, either cheap on its own or part of job lot.

Times Previously Listened: 3

Old Rating: 4/5

Verdict: Myrk's sole album from 2003 is a pretty standard black metal affair. The kind of album where you've heard one in the style, you've heard them all, so the best way to rate it is how good are that at that style. Well, Myrk (whatever happened to them) were a pretty solid sounding unit on this album. The song-writing is not what you'd call spectacular but it's also very far from crappy C-Grade BM and they know how to hit hard and with conviction. 

New Rating: No Change

Keeper? The cheapest copy on ebay is actually in excess if £17.50 (I certainly didn't pay close to that a few years ago) but they'd have to shift the decimal point to the right to make it worth parting with.

Album: Section X

Obtained From: Online

Times Previously Listened: 11

Old Rating: 5/5

Verdict: Sometimes I really why how I manage to leave it so long between old favourites like this. Apparently I haven't played it in full since 2013. That's a real shame on me situation. I must make myself play it more often. A progressive metal masterpiece if ever there was one.

New Rating: No Change

Keeper? Fuck yeah!!!!

I could never stand Stapp's voice on their singles that used to do the rounds on TV. I certainly never wanted to listen to a whole album of him. 

Really should have put it in the charity shop box by now.