I haven't paid much attention to Borknagar since Quintessence in 2000. I bought Empiricism in 2001 and found it way too mellow and I found that was mostly true of the couple of songs I checked out on subsequent albums. I decided to give Fall more of a chance. This is certainly a mellow album, so the band has kept (roughly) the same direction, with lots of clean vocals and the occasional use of harsh vocals for the faster of heavier songs, of which there aren't many. It's very melodic and has a soothing vibe throughout and some of the songs barely qualify as "metal." With that said, this is certainly well executed for what the band is going for. It's more accessible than their early output (up to Quintessence), but the faster and heavier songs could come as a surprise to the uninitiated drawn in by the slow and melodic numbers. It's a good album as far as the music is concerned, but one could argue that Borknagar are straying further away from metal, which is a shame as the songs where the metal is front and centre sure sound good. At least it's all good stuff and there are no skippable tracks and, if you're in the mood for something not too harsh, this album offers a good option.
