Enslaved Album: “Isa”

ENSLAVED - Isa

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Continuing in the steps of `Below the Lights', Enslaved return with another progressive, black-metal masterpiece. Seldom do I do play by play of the tracks, but this album more then deserves and accurate description.

After the opening intro the album launches into Lunar Force, a song with trance-inducing guitar riffs, precise drumming and subtle piano with tortured screams adding the sense of urgency... The song gracefully progresses to the five minute mark then is followed by about 40 seconds of eerie synth feedback, then slams aggressively back into the opening riff then fades out with some beautiful piano patterns.

The title track, Isa has a similar hypnotic guitar pattern, yet this time blending the screams with some clean channel vocals... A very passionate track for being a little over 3:30.

Ascension opens with some odd ambience and by the 1:15 mark sounds like King Crimson has gone Black Metal. (I believe I even heard some tambourine...) Singing is strong in this track, sounding at times almost like Mike Patton from the darker FNM days.

Bounded by Allegiance opens brilliantly with organ, chugging guitars, and building drum beat. The 2 minute intro flows into a subtle softer part before unleashing some older influenced melodic, black metal. This song continually progresses with lots of variations (Both faster and slower) throughout this track and even throws a classic prog guitar solo to close out this track.

Violent Dawning is a furious track, likely the most consistently fast track on the album. It showcases some really nice drum work, both kickers and his symbol work. Also for being such an aggressive track they do not forget the dark melodic beauty... The last 0:40 with the haunting vocals and keys sounds amazing. (One of the most moving parts on the album...)

Enslaved is has a knack at grabbing your attention right from the get-go, Track 7, Return to Yggdrasil, is no exception. Opening with powerful riffs and venomous vocals, however by one minute into the song it has quickly unfolded into dark majestic beauty. Overall a very beautiful track...

Secrets of the Flesh opens with a very progressive rock sounding riff with what sounds like wind blowing (Creates a really cool atmosphere...) This riff builds for the majority of this track, staying instrumental throughout the 3:40.

The 12 minute Reogenesis is the magnum opus of the album, opening with some softer beauty before going into a powerful, old-school BM riff. This songs flows and builds throughout the entire 12 minutes... showing as much beauty as brutality and is filled with some great guitar work... This fades into the outro track which is just shy of one minute.

Amazing Album from start to finish easily on of the Top Metal Releases in 2005 (looks like I will have to update my Best of 2005 list)

Though Black-Metal is a genre I'm really just beginning to explore I can tell you that this CD is so much more... At times reminding me of Amorphis or maybe even Katatonia. Also, they are comparable to the genre-bending Opeth, though they really sound nothing alike.

Just some food for thought but I wonder if they could get Steve Wilson (Porcupine Tree) to produce their next album.

[Actually I just read the other day they just completed recording their latest album which I believe is going to be called `Ruun' which I think is coming out in May?]

Favorite Songs: Violent Dawning, Ascension, Lunar Force and Reogenesis

-5 Star

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If Swervedriver made black metal, it might sound like this. Whether or not British shoegazers influenced Enslaved, the note choices, harmonies, and sonic density here recall "Mezcal Head." While standard black metal elements are present, such as double bass drums, keyboards, and the occasional shrieking vocal, Enslaved has carved out its own unique, abstract sound. Curiously, the album is never really heavy, fast, or evil. Riffs chug along with the aforementioned shoegazer vibe, punctuated by well-placed clean vocals. The twists and turns that do occur are organic and natural, suggesting a `70's prog-rock influence; in terms of prog to rock ratio, Voivod comes to mind. This is not the most immediate listen, but repeated spins reveal a rich, masterful complexity.

Enslaved have created yet another unique and powerful record filled with odd time signatures, chords and unexpected spine chilling melodic twists. Clean vocals are mixed very effectively with black metal growls. The guitars and drums occasionally remind me of this band's black metal past but I wouldn't call this black metal at all. Rather this is some sort of progressive hybrid that has roots in black metal and Norwegian folk but goes far beyond the typical stylings of either genre. Since Maudraum, Enslaved have gotten better or at the very least moved forward with every album. Unlike a band like Darkthrone who've tried to maintain their allegience to the rules of "true" black metal, Enslaved are not content to make the same album over and over again or remain within prescribed musical confines. Not to cut on Darkthrone, they do what they do very well, but Enslaved are much more adventurous.

Isa wasn't as immediately enjoyable or accessible as Maudraum or Below The Lights, rather it took a little time for me to get my head around it. But once I gave it the requisite time for it to sink in, damn. Isa is some of the most unique metal out there these days, a stand out release.

After so much cornucopian splendour weaving such a wide gamut of emotion and dark colours to the spectrum of brutal majesty, one who can truly appreciate the depth and breadth of this band can only be left speechless under and after the weight of such conceptually breathtaking metallic tapestry. Opeth are the classical masters, continually refining and taking measured, guarded steps into experimentation, and Meshuggah are the scientific vanguard innovators, but Enslaved are the psychedelic cosmonauts, wormholing above and below in the spirit of a heavy Floyd. Plumbers par-excellent of death perception and Black Light Trippin...

personally, I like this less than the previous 2 masterpieces - Below the Lights being more cohesively grand and Monumension being a stunning deparature of near-Damnation proportions - I find more harsh moments here, sacrificing flow for stuttered attack, but to hear the focused precision of "Isa" and the instro is fistpumping, headbanging, heartpalpitating pleasure of the purest metal form. And in the other direction, "Return to Yggdrasill" is among the most beautiful moments they've visited. This band can do no wrong. They have alchemized Black-Folk-Psychedelick into a patented, mutating formula and with it, are always finding new terrain and astral landscape for us to explore. They go places others wouldn't even think.

The last "Enslaved" album I heard was "Eld" probably about 12 years ago so this new style came as a surprise when I first heard the opening riff to "Lunar Force." I'm older then I was back when I first heard Eld so gone are the days where I feel a band absolutely has to stay true to a certain style or risk being a sell out and musically I'm quite open minded so I actually liked this one. It's slower and more hypnotic then the old school stuff they used to do and that isn't all a bad thing.

I was surprised at the different melodies and tones that come out in the background in almost every song if you listen to it with some discernment. On the final track before the Outro you get elements of slow rock, metal and even some Pink Floyd style guitar solos to listen to. To hear that a band like this is willing to try out some new things rather then putting out the same early 90's Viking Metal album over and over again is something I appreciate. Don't get me wrong, I like bands like Haemorrhage that do the same thing for a decade but I'm also open to bands that are willing to step out of what they know and explore. Isa isn't a perfect album by all means but it works for me and I suggest it to anyone who is willing to listen to a seasoned band explore some uncharted waters. If all you like is the old stuff(Hordanes Land-Eld) then you may not like this at all but if you keep an open mind you might find something special here.