Band:	Enslaved
Album:	Vertebrae
Style:	Progressive black metal
Release date:	September 2008

Disc I
01. Clouds
02. To The Coast
03. Ground
04. Vertebrae
05. New Dawn
06. Reflection
07. Center
08. The Watcher

Disc II [Limited edition - Live At The Rock Hard Festival, Germany, 2008]
01. Path To Vanir [live]
02. Fusion Of Sense And Earth [live]
03. Bounded By Allegiance [live]
04. Violet Dawning [live]
05. As Fire Swept Clean The Earth [live]
06. Isa [live]
07. Return To Yggdrasil [live]
08. Ruun [live]

In the not too distant past, if you had asked me about Enslaved, I may well have got them confused with any number of bands starting with "En". Enthroned, Ensiferum, 'N Sync? well not the last one thankfully, but I certainly wouldn't have been able to tell you much about them, least of all what they sounded like. But then I found myself reading an "Albums of The Year" list in that self-proclaimed paragon of "True Cult Heavy Metal", Terrorizer magazine. Vertebrae came top. One figured it couldn't be total crap, right?

So I check out "Ground" online. I think it took days for the smile to leave my face; this was definitely not crap. Here was a song with substance. No, not substance? with backbone. The Pink Floyd-ian solo is simply dreamy, the main chords wash over you like the swelling of waves, and there is still room for some bite: in the vocals, in the riff tailing the main chord progression. And the sing-a-long section at the close? Epic.

"Ground" serves as a microcosm of Vertebrae as an album. It possesses many moments of transcendental beauty, both lyrically and musically, but still retains hints at Enslaved's more aggressive past. Indeed, parts of "New Dawn" play out much like a traditional black metal assault, replete with blast beats and rasping vocals, yet the song ends with a dreamlike, spaced-out keyboard section. It is this variety that is Vertebrae's strong suit. There is absolutely zero chance you will think you've listened to the same song somewhere else on the album. "Clouds" opens the album with a pseudo-math metal intro. There are elements of Tool in "Center." On "Reflection," the total simplicity of the main riff and its percussion blend with an almost Joe Satriani-esque solo. The whole song is veritably hypnotic.

Of course, the slightly hypnotic, dreamlike feel could well lead to some listeners becoming slightly, well, shall we say? drowsy. This is not an album to be described as intense. Or to be used as an alarm. Some of the slower parts drag a little, and you might find yourself waiting a while for one or two tracks to really get going. However, interest and flow is pretty well maintained throughout; there is no inexplicably jarring ambient track to get in the way as on follow-up Axioma Ethica Odini. With Vertebrae Enslaved are to be commended for their ability to genre-bend so seamlessly and to progress and develop as a band while remaining true to their darker roots. No "sell-out" label here please. Really, if you haven't heard this album, do so immediately. Last one to do so is a total coccyx?