Review BJØRKØ ‘Heartrot’

‘Heartrot’ is an album that is special in different ways. Amorphis guitarist Tomi Koivusaari started many years ago to collect ideas for a solo album with the aim to release it in parallel with his 40^th anniversary but since work on a solo album demands time, timing needed to be adjusted.

In the meantime, the guitarist celebrated his 50^th anniversary bit the ambition of releasing such an album never changed. ‘Heartrot’ is the title of Børkø and it is a great collection of songs. Without the framework of the mothership, the guitarist releases songs that cover a wide range of emotions and sounds. ‘Heartrot’ is a kaleidoscope of music that fascinates right from the start.

Børkø features quite some guests. Koivusaari invited many singers to contribute to his solo project and it starts with Carcass frontman Jeff Walker. The man with the iconic voice enriches the firing opener ‘The Heartroot Rots’. It’s a dark song with a sinister vibe that gives you, together with the addictive beat, the shivers. Breaks add an extra spice to the mix and the start into the album couldn’t have been done in a better way.

What gives the album a great versatility is the wide range of sounds that come with ‘Heartrot’. ‘Vaka Loka’ for example prolongs the dark vibe of the album, just in a different way. Addi Tryggvason from Solstafir gives with gloomy track an emotional depth, followed by the piano that kicks-off ‘Whitebone Wind’. With Marco Hietala being on board for this song, the album features another twist. More melodic and equipped with clean vocals the song reflects another twist of Bjørkø. Listening to ‘Heartrot’ is like listening to a soundtrack as there are so many nuances and levels that all fit together under one overarching musical theme.

Another element in the mix is ‘Awaking’ which comes without a singer. It is a short interlude that leads to ‘World of Fire and Hallucination’. The smashing metal anthem features no less than Dimmu Borgir’s Shagrath at the mic and it goes without saying that the song mirrors the blackened soul of metal music. This evil-driven song is a great contrast to ‘Magenta’. The latter features a singer called Mariska and is a peaceful acoustic song, kept in Finnish. Like an ode to Finnish nature the song is a moment of harmony on an album that offers great music.

The raging vocals of Jessi Frey during ‘The Trickster’ are another style element that gives the longplayer a slightly new twist which is combined with clean and melodic vocals and a Finnish heritage.

Børkø release with ‘Heartrot’ a highlight of the year. Tomi Koivusaari and his companions created a very entertaining and versatile album that is fascinating and impressing. Kept together by an overarching spirit of melancholy each of the songs is a puzzle piece of a musical picture that shines brightly. One shouldn’t miss this longplayer.