Enslaved is a progressive black metal band from Norway, and has delivered some extremely impressive work as of late. With their 2005 effort,
Isa, Enslaved take black metal to new heights of both atmosphere and progressive genius. Givin the deserving title as one of their best releases, the band just recently released their new album,
Ruun, which is said to also be another 5 star classic effort (according to Revolver and a few other review sites and magazines). With dark, atmospheric sounds, heavy blast beats, melodic interludes, and shrieking black metal screams, Enslaved have established themselves as behemoths to the black metal genre.
The album begins with
Intro: Green Reflection, which is fueled with 51 seconds of dark ambiance and random quirks before leading into
Lunar Force.
Lunar Force begins with 'atomic clock' riffs and punishing drum and bass lines followed by the vocalists enchanting screams. The song has a very straight foreword yet progressive structure. The song slows down a few notches during the middle marker, before picking back up. Definitely one of the most dynamic songs on the album. The next track,
Isa, starts slowly, but picks up quickly with catchy, dark riffs. The song is the first to use clean vocals, which sound very different and unique from most black metal bands (meaning not a dark opera like voice, but a more softer, less dynamic clean voice). After a track like
Lunar Force,
Isa stands short, but only in length. Another positive highlight on the CD.
Usension begins with a slowly ascending, atmospheric keyboard riff, before blasting into heavy, moody guitar licks and chanting vocals. The song is much like
Lunar Force but at a slower pace, and contains some more straight forward, darker guitar work. By this point I might as well forewarn that I there is only one track (disregarding the into and outro) that isn't a major standout on this album, and it's not this track.
Bounded By Allegiance is probably the most roughest track on the album, with several choppy guitar riffs at the beginning, the song picks up quickly into one of the best guitar tracks on the album. Next is
Violet Dawning, which has very screechy guitar sounds at the beginning, followed by some wicked drum lines and blast beats. A tad weaker then the previous tracks, the song is still a great black metal song in one of its more unpure forms.
Return To Yggdrsill follows, being the most doomy sounding track on the album, it also has some of the best vocal work and lyrics on the album. Probably the second best if not first best on the album.
Secrets Of The Flesh starts off with a rhythmic drum intro, and is (for the most part) just a musical piece, with mainly just random growls and screams spread throughout the song. Musically a great song, but the only non-standout on the album. If
Return To Yggdrsill isn't the best track on the album, then the 12 minute epic
Neogenesis is. Starting with scratchy guitar riffs and mellow clean vocals, the song is melodic black metal in it"s most epic proportions. Containing some amazing guitar riffs and symphonic elements, the song is the one definition of Enslaved's sound, powerful. The only downside to this song is when it ends, bleeding into
Outro: Communication, which is 56 seconds of dark operatic keyboards and ambiance, ending on of the greatest and epical black metal albums I have ever heard.
Pros
-- Great production quality
-- Outstanding musicianship and vocals
-- Atmospheric and epic black metal
-- Great lyrics
-- Really leaves a mark on its listener
Cons
-- It's hard to find in stores
-- May take one or two listens to really get a hold of you
Track Listing
1. Intro: Green Reflection (N/A)
2. Lunar Force (5/5)
3. Isa (5/5)
4. Usension (5/5)
5. Bounded By Allegiance (4.5/5)
6. Violet Dawning (5/5)
7. Return To Yggdrsill (5/5)
8. Secrets Of The Flesh (4.5/5)
9. Neogenesis (5/5)
10. Outro: Communication (N/A)
