Enslaved: E (2017)

Enslaved will always hold a special place in my heart as they were the opening band in the first extreme metal concert I ever attended (Opeth was the headliner).  It was also the first real metal concert I saw with the woman who would become my wife, I am not counting the Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert here.  On top of that, the band has simply never really disappointed me.  So each time the band releases a new album, I pick it up quickly.  Here we are again.

Now, at this point in their careers, Enslaved have fully embraced the progressive elements of their sound while all but completely ditching their black metal influences.  The only signs that this was ever a black metal band are the occasional raspy vocals.  Growth is fine when the band is able to continue to put out interesting material, and that is where Enslaved excels.

I had a little bit of a concern that this album would not be quite up to snuff.  It definitely does not start out strong.  The first song opens with a couple of minutes of meandering noise, and my concern grew.  But the concerns were quickly dashed when "Storm Son" turned out to be an incredibly compelling and powerful song.  It is a longer track, but features most of the necessary elements for Enslaved's progressive metal output, and the heavier moments are particularly captivating.  Then the second track, "The River's Mouth" kicks in, and it is easily one of the best Enslaved songs in years, and THAT is saying something.

If anything, this is one of the catchier Enslaved albums.  The aforementioned songs, as well as "Axis of the Worlds" are some of the band's most infectious songs ever.  And I say that as a huge fan of the band.  They do tend to carry on some sections a little longer than I would prefer, but that is really something that the band has always done.  It is a little more restrained this time around though.

Despite the rather slow start to the album, honestly this is one of my favorite albums the band has released since departing from their black metal roots.  And again, that is really saying something, because this band has released some excellent albums.

Top 40 Metal Albums of 2012: 30-21

30.  WINTERSUN: TIME I
It has been a very long time coming for this release.  The band released its first album way back in 2004 and there have long been promises of a new one coming soon.  I myself have known about this for about four or five years now and anxiously awaiting it.  Of course it did not quite live up to the hype, but it is still an extremely impressive release all the same.  An incredible blend of a variety of metal styles into a surprisingly beautiful final product.

29.  CRADLE OF FILTH: THE MANTICORE AND OTHER HORRORS
Everyone's favorite gothic metal nutballs, Cradle of Filth have once again released an album in October of this year.  Just like clockwork.  The sound is a little different this time around with more of an emphasis on aggressive riffwork than on albums past.  Cradle of Filth has also focused on decreasing their song lengths making this a much tighter and punchier release than some of their more long-winded efforts to date.  It is easily one of the band's best albums in years.

28.  ENSLAVED: RIITIIR
Enslaved has received a surprising amount of criticism on this release.  I do not personally buy into all that much as this album has once again strongly impressed me.  It is not as dynamic as some of their other more recent releases, which is why it is in this position instead of closer to the top, but it is impressive in its own way.  Enslaved is a band that continually puts out terrific album after terrific album, and this one is no different.

27.  NAPALM DEATH: UTILITARIAN
Napalm Death has built one hell of a long career out of simply making eardrums bleed.  Their politically charged lyrics are sometimes lost in the cacophony of noise that they make but their anger is plain and obvious.  I have not always been the biggest fan of Napalm Death, but over the last couple of years they have become one of my favorite groups.  This release certainly shows why it is that the band has been able to last as long as they have.

26.  ABORTED: GLOBAL FLATLINE
Simply put, this is the best album that Aborted has put out, likely ever.  The Belgian bashers have long been attempting to add some measure of experimentation and more mainstream-influenced sounds into their brutal style.  On this release, Aborted abandon all of that and simply play to their strengths.  This is brutal and unrelenting grinding death metal the way that it should be.

25.  SATAN'S WRATH: GALLOPING BLASPHEMY
Departed Electric Wizard bassist Tas Donazoglou wasted no time in putting together his next musical project.  Fans of his former band will likely not find a whole lot to compare it to as this is a band looking towards other metal influences to guide his style.  Satan's Wrath is built upon the legacy of early Slayer, Bathory, Hellhammer, Possessed and other band at the forefront of extreme metal.  This is a tribute album with original material and it is one of the most impressive debuts of the year.

24.  NACHTMYSTIUM: SILENCING MACHINE
Nachtmystium lost me for a little while.  Their last album was far too progressive without enough of their prior black metal style for my tastes.  This album saw a return to their original black metal sound while also working to mix in the progressiveness that the band had been experimenting with.  What resulted was one of the band's best albums in their discography.  This album even saw a return of the band's black metal logo.

23.  ARKHAM WITCH: LEGIONS OF THE DEEP
This will not be the only traditional metal release that will be seen on this Top 40 release.  There were a number of terrific albums released this year dedicated to the early heavy metal masters.  Arkham Witch utilize a variety of styles on this album from doom metal to thrash metal to hard rock.  One thing stays the same throughout though, their ability to write damn catchy songs.

22.  SINISTER: THE CARNAGE ENDING
Sinister was once one of the most brutal death metal bands going.  They emerged from the Netherlands in the late 1980's and put out a couple of terrific and powerful death metal classics early on.  They faded a bit over the years but apparently never really lost their edge.  This is the best album Sinister has released in a number of years.  The brutality and power that once coursed through the band's veins is back with a vengeance.

21.  CHAOS INCEPTION: THE ABROGATION
There have been a lot of great death metal albums released this year from unexpected bands.  Chaos Inception is a recent project of Quinta Essentia guitarist Matt Barnes.  Just like his other band, Chaos Inception's biggest strength is the highly original and impressive riffwork.  It is a masterful death metal release that proves that there is still a lot of life left in the genre that many have believed has grown stale.

Initial Impressions: Enslaved: RIITIIR

A few years ago my interest in Enslaved skyrocketed as a result of seeing them in concert with fellow prog-metal masters Opeth.  Prior to that I enjoyed them quite a bit but would not have gone so far as to say that they were one of my favorite bands.  However after that concert, their status was elevated quite a bit.  I developed an appreciation for their sprawling sound with all of its quirks.  Ordinarily the overly progressive metal stuff has not done much for me, but Enslaved has been an exception.  So I look forward to each new Enslaved album.

This one gave me some pause as some individuals that I usually expect to really enjoy Enslaved have not cared as much for it, calling the album a disappointment or even boring.  Nevertheless, I still felt like I had to check it out.  I have heard every single album since Below the Lights and I was not about to start missing albums now.

I think this one is definitely a grower.  Enslaved have stripped away almost all of their black metal sound.  Of course that has been happening for several albums now at this point.  They have stripped away more and more with each release since the aforementioned Below the Lights.  There are still traces here and there, but this is mostly a progressive metal release.

The album does start fairly strong with "Thoughts Like Hammers", but it slows way down for several songs after the opening track.  The next several songs are kind of a blur, before the band picks things back up with "Materal", probably my favorite song on the album.  This is definitely Enslaved.  They do not do anything markedly different from anything they have done on the last several albums.  As such I am not really sure what a lot of the complaints have been about.  I certainly do not feel the same way about this release as some others do.

I would not say that this is one of Enslaved's stronger releases, but I do like it well enough.  I do not think there is anything markedly different this time around.  Is it a masterpiece?  No, but it is good enough.  I find myself enjoying it more and more with each successive listen.

Ridiculousness

Pitchfork has posted a review of Enslaved's newest album which I have yet to hear thanks to the damn music store here not getting it in today.  In this review they complain about people calling this album a classic.  That's right, Pitchfork is calling people out for calling an album a classic before hearing it.  Pitchfork.  Because they never have preconceived notions about music.  Oh the irony.

My 100 Favorite Metal Bands Pt. 40: Enslaved

Like Emperor, Enslaved is a bit of a hard luck miss on the favorite spot for Norway. Oddly, I was not much of a fan of the band until seeing them in concert, opening for Opeth with my fiancee a couple of years back. Their live show blew me away and I became a fan. Enslaved is largely credited with taking the Viking metal sound that Bathory created and running with it. They were a bit of a different band than some of their countrymen and peers from the time frame. Their music now bears little resemblance to black metal and is instead more of a progressive extreme metal. I love their most recent stuff, perhaps even moreso than their earlier material.

FAVORITE ALBUM: BELOW THE LIGHTS

Year in Metal: 2003

DIMMU BORGIR: DEATH CULT ARMAGEDDON
2003 saw Dimmu Borgir break through to the mainstream. I actually bought this album at Target of all places. This is by no means a great album, though it is still my favorite from the Norwegian symphonic black metal band, but it was instrumental in my interest in black metal. It was an album that caused me to look deeper into the genre. There are some damn good songs on it though and I do remember it completely freaked out my girlfriend (who later became my fiancee).

ENSLAVED: BELOW THE LIGHTS
The seventh album by Enslaved is more of a mix of their earlier black/Viking metal style and their later more progressive sound. This album features the haunting "Havenless" which is my favorite song by the band. Enslaved was at the peak of their creativity on this album, crafting several classic songs while retaining the depth and atmosphere of their previous works.

LOST HORIZON: A FLAME TO THE GROUND BENEATH
Yes, the album cover is cheesy as hell, but this is easily one of the best power metal albums of the decade. The Swedish band has thus far only released two albums, this being their last, but it is an incredible album. The vocals really make the album, being technically impressive and incredibly emotive. The music is powerful, majestic, and epic. This is a brilliant power metal album that is unfortunately too often overlooked.

SWALLOW THE SUN: THE MORNING NEVER CAME
I have made my feelings on this album pretty clear for some time. One of my absolute favorite albums in the death/doom genre and a true blind buy. This is the exact opposite of the prior album as it is extremely dark and depressing. It crawls along at a snail's pace and leaves the listener feeling dread and darkness overtaking them. And this was just the band's first album. It also has one of my favorite album covers of all time, perfectly capturing the feel of the album.

THE CROWN: POSSESSED 13
The Swedish death/thrash band released their last album before going on hiatus, the horror-themed Possessed 13. This album featured the return of original vocalist Johan Lindstrand, but was otherwise more of the same from The Crown. Hyper-fast death/thrash that takes no prisoners and leaves the listener reeling.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Akercocke: Choronzon; Arch Enemy: Anthems of Rebellion; The Black Dahlia Murder: Unhallowed; Children of Bodom: Hate Crew Deathroll; Dragonforce: Valley of the Damned; Lamb of God: As the Paces Burn; Moonspell: The Antidote; Overkill: Killbox 13.

BANDS THAT FORMED IN 2003: Abysmal Dawn, Korpiklaani, Through the Eyes of the Dead.

Initial Impressions: Enslaved: "The Watcher" Flexi Disc

"The Watcher" is a live track of a song that originally appeared on the album Vertebrae. It begins with a little acoustic noodling and then takes off into a rumbling heavy riff and some typical black metal vocals. The choruses are sung in a clean vocal style and sound incredible. I have seen Enslaved in concert and they really do sound this incredible. This is a heavier song than a lot of their other more recent output, but it definitely still has its melodic parts.

As mentioned the song does appear in its original form on Vertebrae. It is a great example of a latter day Enslaved song, bearing black metal and progressive metal in equal amounts. This is not a mandatory release for any casual fans, but it is nice for those completists out there.

Decibel Came Through

Earlier I mentioned that I did not get my Enslaved flexi disc in my recent issue of Decibel. I contacted the company and received a response within 24 hours from someone explaining the issue and he said he would send a replacement. I received my replacement today. This is very impressive customer service. Thank you Decibel.

I will post my thoughts on the flexi disc as soon as I have had a chance to listen to it.

Initial Impressions: Enslaved: Axioma Ethica Odini

Wow. Enslaved has outdone themselves on this album. I became a big fan of the band after seeing them in concert awhile back. I have enjoyed all of the albums I have heard from the band so far, but I do think this one blows even those albums out of the water.

The opening track is certainly the strongest, featuring an opening riff that is the closest thing to pure black metal that Enslaved has released in some time. The song does not continue in that vein, instead it becomes more interesting, and the band's prog influences are clearly felt throughout.

The opening track is just a brief microcosm of the overall album. This album features numerous black metal parts which blend into numerous progressive parts. The vocals run the gamut between crooning tenor and harsh blackened rasp. Indeed, Enslaved has shown more willingness to incorporate clean vocals into the mix a little more often this time around. These clean points are often peppered with the black metal vocals.

The riffs are overall impressive. Enslaved does not really sound much like a black metal band at this point, but there is nothing wrong with that. Their sound has matured and has come into its own this time out. The band has fully realized the potential of the experimentation they have conducted on other recent albums. This sound is fully fleshed-out and complete this time. This is the album they have been hinting towards for years.

Initial Impressions: Enslaved: Ruun

This album is often considered Enslaved's masterpiece from their progressive viking metal era. It is the culmination of what they had been building to for several years. Enslaved has become one of my favorite bands since I saw them in concert last spring and was thoroughly impressed.

The music retains the progressive elements that began to distinguish Enslaved from other Norwegian bands from the time period. It also remains rooted in black/viking metal for the most part, particularly where the vocals are concerned. This is one of the band's heavier albums from this stage in their career. It is also extremely melodic and powerful.

This is the album where everything came together for Enslaved. The progressive elements that had been becoming more and more prevalent over the years had materialized into a major area of the band's sound. Still, it featured enough of the old black metal aspects of the music to keep old time fans happy. This is quite possibly the band's masterpiece.

This album has a very well-deserved reputation in metal circles. It's not the most aggressive album, but it's not the most progressive either. The two sounds are in equal balance on this album. This is a terrific album by a very talented band.

Initial Impressions: Enslaved: Vertebrae

Enslaved was touring in support of this album when my fiancee and I saw them last spring. Enslaved had been pushing the boundaries of black metal for quite some time and over the last few albums, most of the black metal aspects of the music have disappeared. What has emerged is a very strong progressive extreme metal sound. Touring with Opeth was quite natural for the band. Both bands have basically abandoned their root sound in favor of progressive experimentation, and both bands have been very successful at it. Enslaved was one of the first bands to really embrace the viking metal sound. It is still evident to this day.

The music on this album sounds essentially like a cross between Pink Floyd, Dream Theater, Opeth, and Norwegian black metal. The vocals are often delivered in a black metal style rasp, but there are often more cleanly sung vocals as well. There is a heavy use of keyboards as a backing instrument, but otherwise, the music is driven by very strong guitar riffs. The drums are thunderous and helped build each song into a powerful experience leaving the listener wanting more.

The songs themselves are somewhat long and winding, but never leave the listener feeling bored. There is a lot going on in any given Enslaved song. The band is one of the more talented bands in progressive metal. The songs do occasionally meander off into psychedelic territory featuring swirling keyboards and lengthy guitar solos, but the music remains very interesting and well-played.

It's difficult to determine which album is Enslaved's best. This album certainly makes a statement for consideration. It is melodic without losing any of the metallic intensity the band has built its career upon. While the band can not be considered a black metal band at this point, they have emerged as a very interesting and musically gifted band.

Weekly Recap: Jan. 31-Feb. 6

Well it's the first week of February and it was again a very busy week. I spent most of the week trying to track down one of my clients to sign settlement documents. Eventually, she turned up in jail. I spent all day yesterday driving down to the jail to collect the necessary signatures. Beyond that, we got more snow each of the last two days. Just when it looked like it was actually going to warm up and the snow would be gone.

In the metal world:
-The Grammys were on Sunday. I did not watch but Judas Priest finally won one. Good for them. Apparently someone won the award for best album, etc. but I have no idea who.

-Trivium replaced their drummer Travis Smith with Nick Augusto. Drums haven't been one of the band's strengths.

-Charred Walls of the Damned released their debut album. The band is a side project of drummer Richard Christy, now better known for his work on the Howard Stern radio program. The band also has bass mercenary Steve DiGiorgio (Death, Autopsy, Testament, Iced Earth, Sadus, etc., etc., etc.), Jason Suecof, best known for his production work on Trivium and other mainstream metal bands, and Ripper Owens, onetime singer for Judas Priest and Iced Earth.

-Triptykon released their album cover. It's H.R. Giger, so it's freaky. Triptykon is the new band of Tom G. Warrior after the latest breakup of Celtic Frost.

-Everyone's favorite a cappella metal band Van Canto released their new video, which features the first ever (I think, and it damn well better be) a cappella breakdown. It's about what you would expect.

-Slayer, Megadeth, and Testament will be on tour together and have one stop in Kansas City, only about five hours from here. Which begs the question, should I try to convince the fiancee to go to that concert or stick to Kamelot/Leaves' Eyes/Blackguard instead? Hmm. I'm sure she'll weigh in.

Here's the list of albums I listened to this week, brought to you apparently by the letter A. That was totally unintentional.
3 Inches of Blood: Advance and Vanquish
Abominable Putridity: In the End of Human Existence
Absu: Absu
Alice in Chains: Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains: Dirt
Alice in Chains: Black Gives Way to Blue
Alice in Chains: Unplugged
Amon Amarth: The Crusher
Anal Vomit: Depravation
Angel Witch: Angel Witch
Apophis: Heliopolis
Arsis: United in Regret
Asphyx: Death...The Brutal Way
Asphyx: Last One on Earth
At the Gates: The Red in the Sky is Ours
Atomizer: The Only Weapon of Choice-13 Odes to Power, Decimation, and Conquest
Black Sabbath: Vol. 4
Blind Guardian: A Twist in the Myth
Bolt Thrower: Those Once Loyal
Borknagar: Empiricism
Death: Symbolic
Devastation: Idolatry
Devourment: 1.3.8
Enslaved: Below the LightsEvocation: Tales from the Tomb
Fight: War of Words
Forgotten Tomb: Negative Megalomania
Graveworm: Scourge of Malice
Hail of Bullets: ...Of Frost and War
Helloween: Gambling with the Devil
Immolation: Shadows in the Light
Jerry Cantrell: Boggy Depot
Judas Priest: Angel of Retribution
Katalepsy: Musick Brings Injuries
Kawir: Ophiolatreia
Krisiun: Southern Storm
Machine Head: The Burning Red
Manowar: Kings of Metal
Megadeth: Countdown to Extinction
Metallica: Garage Inc.
Moonspell: Darkness and Hope
Omen: Battle Cry
Orphaned Land: Mabool
Ozzy Osbourne: Diary of a Madman
Rotting Christ: Sanctus Diavolos
Rotting Christ: Theogonia
Sarcofago: Rotting
Savatage: Hall of the Mountain King
Saxorior: Volkerschlacht
Sepultura: Chaos A.D.
Skyfire: Spectral
Slauter Xstroyes: Winter Kill
Slayer: Diabolus in Musicana
Sonata Arctica: Silence
Thanatos: Justified Genocide
Thornafire: Exacerbated Gnostic Manifestation
Thornafire: Vorex Deconstruccion
Vomit Remnants: Supreme Vehemence
Watchtower: Energetic Disassembly
Wormed: Planisphaerium

Opeth and Enslaved Live at Sokol Auditorium in Omaha 5/8/09

Well this is my first concert review post as it was my first concert since last Fall.

As part of my birthday weekend, I managed to convince my girlfriend to come along with me to see Opeth and Enslaved in Omaha. I had to promise to protect her and keep an eye on her at all times, which I thought was very cute, and a little paranoid, but still cute. She felt out of place all night, but I never really feel at home at concerts either. I like to go and just watch the bands. I'm not there to socialize, although I do always have someone with me, and I don't go near the pit because that takes away from the experience. There was a rather diverse crowd there, but I will get to that in a minute.

ENSLAVED:
I am far less familiar with Enslaved's music than Opeth's. I like them pretty well but they don't have much that really stands out to me. That being said, they had a very strong show. They played several songs that were more straightforward metal songs rather than meandering progressive metal as on their recent records. It was a very good show. I just wish they would have played "Havenless". That was my only disappointment from the night. I decided to pick up a t-shirt prior to the show. I remember at one point sitting against the wall (there were no seats at all) with my eyes closed and my arm wrapped around my girlfriend thinking that this was one of the best nights of my life.

OPETH:
The obvious headliner. Opeth played a very long, diverse show. They played songs from most of their albums. I believe Orchid was the only album that was not represented. They seemed to cut down some of the prog interludes during some of the songs, making a conscious effort not to totally bore the crowd. Mikael Akerfeldt actually proved to be somewhat funny, which I was very surprised by, as he kept up banter with the crowd between songs. Opeth did play "Godhead's Lament" which is my favorite song by that band.

As mentioned earlier, the crowd was diverse. There were the usual culprits: the old school metalheads, the progressive crowd, the fucking hipsters and scenesters, the drunken idiots looking for a good time. I was a little surprised, although I probably shouldn't be, that there were a lot of hardcore kids there. Hardcore dancing is not especially appropriate at a progressive metal show. To the guy who looked like a dying seagull: you are not cool and you look like a fucking idiot.

All in all, a good show.