ENSLAVED — E (review)

ENSLAVED — E album cover Album · 2017 · Progressive Metal Buy this album from MMA partners
4.5/5 ·
voila_la_scorie
One of the classic black metal bands and a favourite of Sam Dunn of Banger Films (“A Headbanger’s Journey”, “Flight 666”, “Rush – Beyond the Lighted Stage”) is Enslaved. My first venture into their catalogue was their seventh album, “Below the Lights” because it was mentioned on a list of best metal albums as well as best progressive albums. I enjoyed it enough to consider a second purchase, and though “In Times” was next on my list, along with “Frost”, I heard so many good things about “E” that I went for this one. Money well spent!

I understand well from what I’ve heard that Enslaved very early on expressed their progressive proclivities and that in the new millennium they expanded their sound into post rock. This album here expresses both of those faces of musical styles quite liberally. In fact, while I love the album as an Enslaved album, it was very easy for me to get into it because I could hear similarities to bands whose music I have already an attanchment to: Opeth, Anciients, Motorpsycho, and Devin Townsend. I also read that one member of Seven Impale joined Enslaved so that’s another bonus as far as I’m concerned.

Of course there’s the quintessential over-distorted guitar sound, speed, demonic vocals, and tenseness that comes with black metal, but also beauty and contrasts. The recording quality is superb, proving that black metal can sound magnificent once it swallows its lo-fi pride and goes for sonic brilliance.

A lot of old school extreme metal albums sound awesome but have little variety in their sound. When I think of old classics from my early teens like “Screaming for Vengeance”, “Number of the Beast”, or “Mob Rules”, each song was treated like an individual piece of work and these albums had variety. No two songs sounded alike. So it’s a great surprise and pleasure to listen to an album like this where once again I can feel that each song provides its own individual stamp on the album rather than just being a barrage of blast beats and tidal waves of distortion. With an album like this and a couple of other 21st century black metal and albums I have heard, I really think black metal has progressed and grown into an art rather than just a statement.

In the New Year, I will most certainly be looking to add two or three more Enslaved albums to my collection, possibly more.
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voila_la_scorie wrote:
more than 2 years ago
Well, Dimmu Borgir and Marduk were just here in Tokyo. Maybe Enslaved will come?
Bosh66 wrote:
more than 2 years ago
Yep this is one superb album I can listen to on loop. If they ever tour the Far East and pop into Singapore, buy yourself a ticket. They are just as impressive live!

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