MetalDoomMaster
Posts: 566
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03.03.2015 - 06:06Rating: 8
Damn, did you just pound this one out based on today's stream, or did you have the album earlier? Pretty quick review haha. I however, would associate a lot of Enslaved''s earlier works with the word "catchy".
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tea[m]ster Au Pays Natal ContributorPosts: 5266 |
03.03.2015 - 06:14Rating: 8
Best review you have ever written. Well done - and thanks.
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Auntie Sahar Drone Empress
Posts: 5989 |
Written by MetalDoomMaster on 03.03.2015 at 06:06
Damn, did you just pound this one out based on today's stream, or did you have the album earlier? Pretty quick review haha. I however, would associate a lot of Enslaved''s earlier works with the word "catchy".
I had got it earlier on advance listen for review, pretty much just a coincidence that it happened to stream in full today
There are plenty of Enslaved songs that I can remember easily because of riffs and melodies that are easy to get stuck in your head, what I guess I mean is that here it almost feels as if they deliberately set out to do that. Previously things felt a little more subtle, as if they were writing great music that just coincidentally happened to have a great hook to it as well. The "catchy" element was a little less in your face. It's a bit hard to describe, because it's not as if it's an extreme contrast, but for me it was enough to notice.
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I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.
~ II. VII
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Auntie Sahar Drone Empress
Posts: 5989 |
Written by tea[m]ster on 03.03.2015 at 06:14
Best review you have ever written. Well done - and thanks.
Thanks man, I've got 120 under my belt, so that's a pretty big compliment!
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I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.
~ II. VII
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MetalDoomMaster
Posts: 566
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03.03.2015 - 06:29Rating: 8
Written by Auntie Sahar on 03.03.2015 at 06:15
I had got it earlier on advance listen for review, pretty much just a coincidence that it happened to stream in full today
There are plenty of Enslaved songs that I can remember easily because of riffs and melodies that are easy to get stuck in your head, what I guess I mean is that here it almost feels as if they deliberately set out to do that. Previously things felt a little more subtle, as if they were writing great music that just coincidentally happened to have a great hook to it as well. The "catchy" element was a little less in your face. It's a bit hard to describe, because it's not as if it's an extreme contrast, but for me it was enough to notice.
I was gonna say, that'd be a pretty quick turnaround. Ah, I get what you're saying, but I don't think writing music to be catchy is necessarily a bad thing, and I think they lost most of their dark atmosphere with Axioma, so this album went in a pretty predictable direction. I'm not saying that you're saying the catchiness a bad thing (seems like you're not). Ok I don't know where I'm going with this so I'll shut up now haha. Thanks for the review, good read.
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Auntie Sahar Drone Empress
Posts: 5989 |
Written by MetalDoomMaster on 03.03.2015 at 06:29
I was gonna say, that'd be a pretty quick turnaround. Ah, I get what you're saying, but I don't think writing music to be catchy is necessarily a bad thing, and I think they lost most of their dark atmosphere with Axioma, so this album went in a pretty predictable direction. I'm not saying that you're saying the catchiness a bad thing (seems like you're not). Ok I don't know where I'm going with this so I'll shut up now haha. Thanks for the review, good read.
Not that it's a bad thing, just that it feels a bit strange. I hope I'm not coming off as one of those "the band changed their sound and I don't like it" types, because it is for the most part a pretty great album, I think there's just something about that aspect of the songwriting though that didn't make it click with me as hard as AEO and RIITIIR did.
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I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.
~ II. VII
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MetalDoomMaster
Posts: 566
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03.03.2015 - 06:42Rating: 8
Written by Auntie Sahar on 03.03.2015 at 06:36
Not that it's a bad thing, just that it feels a bit strange. I hope I'm not coming off as one of those "the band changed their sound and I don't like it" types, because it is for the most part a pretty great album, I think there's just something about that aspect of the songwriting though that didn't make it click with me as hard as AEO and RIITIIR did.
No, you definitely provided a fair assessment of your views, so no worries there. I think this album is just turning my brain to mush because I'm not sure what I think of it yet, so I'm probably just going to end up in the same boat as you.
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Joe Zombie
Posts: 540 |
I really like this album. Probably because its catchy and more accessible I'll admit. I was never a big fan of Enslaved to begin with; the last record of theirs I cared for was Vertebrae. To be fair I haven't given their music as a whole the attention it probably requires.
Regardless, I can't wait to pick this one up and perhaps give RIITIIR a proper listen.
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Hex_Omega Gem Seeker
Posts: 1178
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This is their worst album since Vertebrae, which means it is still very good It sounds like a weaker version of RIITIIR to me.
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Necrodamus
Posts: 435 |
03.03.2015 - 10:39Rating: 8
Just listened to the album stream via YouTube, and I happen to agree with much of your review. A shame, since I was thinking this would easily top RIITIIR. Likewise, AEO is probably their modern opus and will remain as such, so I didn't think this would usurp that by any means. I'll be giving this a good many more listens to see where it stacks up with their others.
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corrupt With a lowercase c AdminPosts: 3537 |
03.03.2015 - 12:27Rating: 8
corruptWith a lowercase cAdminPosts: 3537
Nice review. It's a pretty accurate expression of my own first impression. The album is more reminiscent of Axioma than any other Enslaved album and yet tops it up with a few quite unique elements within their universe. It stands to prove the every-second-album rule that Enslaved have established for themselves it appears. Ruun, Axioma, and now In Times. I'm curious as to how it'll feel in half a year. Riitiir never quite sat with me and I can already appreciate this a little more. But with every listen it seems more and more like Axioma will tower over its successors for a while longer.
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Bad English Tage Westerlund
Posts: 62014 |
I didn't know you like Enslaved
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I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens.
Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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MetalDoomMaster
Posts: 566
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03.03.2015 - 14:34Rating: 8
Written by Bad English on 03.03.2015 at 13:44
I didn't know you like Enslaved
It seems there are few people here that don't
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Bad English Tage Westerlund
Posts: 62014 |
Written by MetalDoomMaster on 03.03.2015 at 14:34
Written by Bad English on 03.03.2015 at 13:44
I didn't know you like Enslaved
It seems there are few people here that don't
I as referring to reviewer
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I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens.
Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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MetalDoomMaster
Posts: 566
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03.03.2015 - 15:21Rating: 8
Written by Bad English on 03.03.2015 at 14:56
I as referring to reviewer
I know I was referring to all of Metalstorm haha
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Auntie Sahar Drone Empress
Posts: 5989 |
Written by corrupt on 03.03.2015 at 12:27
It stands to prove the every-second-album rule that Enslaved have established for themselves it appears
You're not the only one I've seen mention that, like how they tend to make their really standout albums with every other release?
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I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.
~ II. VII
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Auntie Sahar Drone Empress
Posts: 5989 |
Written by Bad English on 03.03.2015 at 13:44
I didn't know you like Enslaved
Where were you when I did this?
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I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.
~ II. VII
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BitterCOld The Ancient One AdminPosts: 15287 |
03.03.2015 - 15:37Rating: 9
Great review, though I'm with Corrupt. Kinda. I prefer this one to Riitiir. Maybe that one felt a tad more let down-y coming immediately after AEO, but this one clicked more after a couple listens.
the viking chorus isn't entirely new (check the end of Monumension), and isn't too overdone, fortunately. it's a interesting touch towards the end of a song.
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Bad English Tage Westerlund
Posts: 62014 |
Written by Auntie Sahar on 03.03.2015 at 15:32
Written by Bad English on 03.03.2015 at 13:44
I didn't know you like Enslaved
Where were you when I did this?
I think I read it I read all reviews, but somehow I forgot it
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I stand whit Ukraine and Israel. They have right to defend own citizens.
Stormtroopers of Death - "Speak English or Die"
I better die, because I never will learn speek english, so I choose dieing
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Auntie Sahar Drone Empress
Posts: 5989 |
Written by BitterCOld on 03.03.2015 at 15:37
Great review, though I'm with Corrupt. Kinda. I prefer this one to Riitiir. Maybe that one felt a tad more let down-y coming immediately after AEO, but this one clicked more after a couple listens.
It's definitely a grower, as is most of their material. I wrote this review after the second listen, now I'm on my fourth and things are starting to fall a little more into place
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I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.
~ II. VII
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Alex F
Posts: 3519 |
03.03.2015 - 15:42Rating: 7
Really good review, though I would give it a higher rating and a bit more praise. I definitely prefer it to RIITIIR
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Auntie Sahar Drone Empress
Posts: 5989 |
Written by Alex F on 03.03.2015 at 15:42
I definitely prefer it to RIITIIR
Ya know, that was really one of those albums that I spun like 4 or 5 times, put down, and then never listened to again. Not because I didn't like it, I just ended up not returning to it. Seems like I should now though to see how it compares to this one.
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I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.
~ II. VII
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flightoficarus Stamp Tramp
Posts: 1116 |
03.03.2015 - 16:59Rating: 9
Great review, very concise. I have been putting mine together, but you nearly hit all the same points right down to the "extreme rock" thoughts on "Building with Fire." I'll probably end up putting mine on MA to avoid redundancy. The only major difference is that I scored it a good point higher, but I don't think I'll have a sturdy score for this one until I have given it more listens throughout the year. Great job.
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DahliaRock
Posts: 153 |
Hmmm.. being a huge fan of the Axioma and that rare breed of people who enjoyed Vertebrae (to me, other Enslaved albums are like nordic men's beard while Vertebrae is a modern composition of plastic strings) I have two sides to the album:
- it's in a way a summation album of all the ideas that have led here, like a stepping stone to a rather clearer meadow. it's better than RiitiiR in the sense that it doesn't try to evolve the sound but builds upon it. rIitir was a great album that fell short of sticking because the ideas were not mature enough to create a whole different vibe. this is one of the reasons I find Vertebrae refreshing!
- being a summation, it creates the illusion that the songs are rather simpler than they are. that was the case for me with Gojira's L'enfant, and at times the bulkier sound causes boredom, like Meshuggah's Obzen. All feel like that final stepping stone before heading towards a different staircase. Now it's curious how Enslaved will handle the next step. It's possible that the new sound could be a flop like Koloss (I still like it, but the rawness of the sound messed up the rhythmic affair that Meshuggah established so far imho)
of course this is only after listening twice to the stream, so we'll see how it holds up. A 8.2 so far for me!
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corrupt With a lowercase c AdminPosts: 3537 |
03.03.2015 - 17:55Rating: 8
corruptWith a lowercase cAdminPosts: 3537
Written by Auntie Sahar on 03.03.2015 at 15:31 like how they tend to make their really standout albums with every other release?
Which is exactly what they have been doing since Below The Lights. Of course everyone has a different other album. But they seem to cater more to one of two groups with every second release.
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Lit. Account deleted |
Lit. Account deleted
Meh, I'd probably give it .3 more points. Like most here say, it's already better than RIITIIR, and like corrupt said, they've seem to established that great-album-every-other-album rut.
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Jaeryd Nihil's Maw
Posts: 1062 |
I'm not going to listen to it until my physical copy comes in the mail (I end up doing most of my listening while at work, and can't stream things from my work computer), but I'm excited to give it a few spins. Good review.
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Risto Wandering Midget
Posts: 1115 |
03.03.2015 - 19:45Rating: 7
RistoWandering MidgetPosts: 1115
Right now I doubt this will be any better than RIITIIR, unfortunately. I'd also like to mention Axioma Ethica Odini is my favorite Enslaved album, and RIITIIR is excellent at it's best.
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HitokiriNate85
Posts: 56
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I only just listened to the stream late last night and I'm going to need a few more listens, at least, to have a more concrete feeling about the album.
That said, what stood out to me: In Times definitely has my favorite clean singing melodies of all their albums. It seems like everyone was head-over-heels for Roots of the Mountain's chorus, but I really liked the choruses here a lot more, and there was still a similar prog touch on one of the tracks(maybe In Times?). The chorus on Thurisaz Dreaming starts everything off well and is backed by that excellent bouncy and kinda mysterious bass line, and then I think In Times and Daylight really matched and complimented that and helped give some overall sense to the record.
One Thousand Years of Rain was great through and through and felt appropriate in the middle of the album. Building With Fire was probably my least favorite on the first listen, and I also thought Nauthir Bleeding didn't go far enough. The intro was great, but when Grutle's voice comes ripping back in a few minutes in and the song breaks into mid-tempo, I was really expecting a breakout moment like The Beacon had, a sudden, furious blast that highlights their raw energy. Still, Nauthir was a lot to take in, so I say this somewhat lightly.
My biggest sense of the album is that it felt cohesive, probably more than the last few. That isn't to say I think it's better, or like it more, but Daylight felt like a logical conclusion, and that solo in the last few minutes was beautiful, and I loved hearing the dreamy rhythm right before it. If anything felt missing it was that I wanted some more crushing moments, like the opening verse on Thoughts Like Hammers or Giants. Grutle, for my money, has one of the most powerful voices in metal, and I love moments where the whole weight of the band swings behind his voice.
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Netzach Planewalker
Posts: 1761 |
05.03.2015 - 17:03Rating: 7
De Riitiir nil nisi bene, but this album feels a lot more focused in every aspect. It kind of loses momentum somewhere around the title track and never manages to quite regain it, but songs are enjoyable nonetheless. Standout track is "Building With Fire" because it's the only track with a couple boring parts. Everything else is top notch although they could have cut off a few minutes of the two last tracks. This one's on par with Vertebrae and Axioma which were both very good albums.
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My "blackened synth metal" solo project: maladomini.bandcamp.com.
Whenever I write something funny, weird, or pretentious... I learned English by playing Baldur's Gate, okay?
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