Enslaved discussion

Written by Daniell on 21.10.2010 at 23:23

Written by K✞ulu on 21.10.2010 at 22:42

I guess if I was better acquainted with the band I would say that it's a "perfect mix of older and newer material" but since it's not the case (yet), that's my description.

If you're planning to get to know the band better, you're in for an amazing ride. I almost envy you

I tried listening to Isa before, but the only track that I really liked was Neogenesis. Gotta go back and re-listen; it's been quite a while.

Enslaved is a tough nut to crack. They don't really like to record 2 similar albums back to back, except maybe for their older releases.

But starting with Mardraum, you will get a surprise with every album. Monumension was much more weird and progressive than Mardraum. Below the Lights was a step further towards wierdness and progression. Isa shows a more polished side of Enslaved, but it's also quite hard to digest. I'd say 10 listens is a minimum (which is actually true about all Enslaved records). Ruun introduces even more progressive elements at the same time retaining lots of sheer force of Enslaved's music, while Vertebrae is at the same time the most mellow and the most tripped out Enslaved album (but excellent nevertheless). Axioma Ethica Odini is a look back to the distant past in terms of aggression and heaviness, but it also shows the band's music branching into new directions, reaching territories never trodden before.

But don't take my word for it. Be patient, let every album sink in slowly. You won't regret the time invested.

Multiply it times 3 for me. It seems like takes way too long for me to get into an album. Enslaved do seem like a tough nut. They do. But whatever is progressive and unusual, I am interested in such music. Will be checking some of their stuff in future I guess while Axioma Ethica Odini is slowly growing on me.

Written by TheBigRossowski on 15.10.2010 at 17:44

It's definitely a dreamy album! Anyone else hear the signature Yes taking place in ''Singular''?

I'm loving the new album a lot more than Vertebrae.

Correction, ''Night Sight'' is the song I meant. Just listen to that song and then ''Heart of the Sunrise'' from Yes

Written by Daniell on 22.10.2010 at 00:04

Enslaved is a tough nut to crack. They don't really like to record 2 similar albums back to back, except maybe for their older releases.

But starting with Mardraum, you will get a surprise with every album. Monumension was much more weird and progressive than Mardraum. Below the Lights was a step further towards wierdness and progression. Isa shows a more polished side of Enslaved, but it's also quite hard to digest. I'd say 10 listens is a minimum (which is actually true about all Enslaved records). Ruun introduces even more progressive elements at the same time retaining lots of sheer force of Enslaved's music, while Vertebrae is at the same time the most mellow and the most tripped out Enslaved album (but excellent nevertheless). Axioma Ethica Odini is a look back to the distant past in terms of aggression and heaviness, but it also shows the band's music branching into new directions, reaching territories never trodden before.

But don't take my word for it. Be patient, let every album sink in slowly. You won't regret the time invested.

i would argue that Monumension is by far their weirdest album. Below The Lights is more straightforward with one foot still kinda rooted in the blackened past, the other in prog territory. I found Monumension the hardest album of theirs to 'crack' as it were.

The last several albums after that all had a pretty clear flow from one to the next, with the newest slightly breaking from the pattern by pulling some influences from their earliest works.

Written by TheBigRossowski on 24.10.2010 at 17:37

Written by TheBigRossowski on 15.10.2010 at 17:44

It's definitely a dreamy album! Anyone else hear the signature Yes taking place in ''Singular''?

I'm loving the new album a lot more than Vertebrae.

Correction, ''Night Sight'' is the song I meant. Just listen to that song and then ''Heart of the Sunrise'' from Yes

yep, for a moment I thought Steve Howe had joined Enslaved... But the track changes swiftly after that... luckily or not!

I recently trudged through the snow to a record store here in Manhattan. There I purchased new, sealed cd's of Below the Lights, Isa, Ruun, Vertebrae, and Axioma Ethica Odini. I don't regret a single dime spent.

My personal favorite is Isa for its massive epic scale. Frankly, however, I would disagree with anyone who says that it is a tough album to digest, for only one listen had me sold entirely.

Written by Axe Argonian on 02.01.2011 at 22:29

I recently trudged through the snow to a record store here in Manhattan. There I purchased new, sealed cd's of Below the Lights, Isa, Ruun, Vertebrae, and Axioma Ethica Odini. I don't regret a single dime spent.

My personal favorite is Isa for its massive epic scale. Frankly, however, I would disagree with anyone who says that it is a tough album to digest, for only one listen had me sold entirely.

I think you have to be patient to appreciate that album. Some of the songs start out sort of slow, but build up really well. You can't just listen to 10 seconds of it and start headbanging like you would with a typical thrash album. I really liked the guitar work on Isa as well.

Bounded by Allegiance from Isa has great moments.

Listened to Blodhemn today, god the production is awful on that album, one of the rare cases where the production manages to truly irk me.

I'm going to buy an Enslaved shirt next month. It's been way to long and it's about damn time!

ENSLAVED!

I'm not a big black metal or viking metal metal fan but the prog elements found when I dig deep into Enslaved's music keeps me interested....a nice surprise

With this album i became a big fan of them

Written by Night Sight on 04.02.2011 at 15:45

With this album i became a big fan of them

whitch album?

I suppose Axioma Ethica Odini, since it's the recent one. That's the case with me, in any case. I'd heard Isa when it came out and checked some older stuff, but they never really caught my attention. Axioma didn't do it immediately, either, but I kept returning to it and it clicked better every time. You could say it restored my interest in melodic, mainstream metal. I wouldn't say it's very progressive or weird or challenging, I found it so powerful because of its straightforward catchiness. Riffs like the opening to Ethica Odini, and vocal melodies like on Raidho and Lightening are just so good. Subtle finesse be damned, the album just has so many great melodies and good songs that I can't help but like it. I never thought I'd really like this kind of music again.

I just got Axioma Ethica Odini and I must say it's quite appealing! Normally I don't like melodic vocals at all, but on this album Enslaved seem to have put together a nice mix.

But I have just a small question for you: as I also really like the two bonus tracks that came with my version of the album on a 7": Jotunsblod (Doom) (side A) and Migration (side B), I would like to have those tracks on my computer, but can't find them anywhere but on youtube (bad quality)! Can anyone help me with this? I don't have any fancy player equipment that I can link to my computer, so if there is a download link somewhere I can't find it, could someone point me to it? Thanks.

Written by Eidwlon on 27.03.2011 at 14:20

Can anyone help me with this? I don't have any fancy player equipment that I can link to my computer, so if there is a download link somewhere I can't find it, could someone point me to it? Thanks.

Keep in mind it is against the rules of posting to provide illegal download links.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 27.03.2011 at 15:16

Keep in mind it is against the rules of posting to provide illegal download links.

Yes, thank you for reminding me. I didn't mean to ask if someone could post a mediafire link or something, I am asking if someone has those two digital files for me, uploaded or not. You can just send me a personal message or something, I would be very grateful. It is just too much work for me to rip the songs off of the 7" myself.

Written by Eidwlon on 27.03.2011 at 16:57

...

Check your inbox.

Have you seen this? Great covers!

With the addition of album and review threads, band threads seem to get no love.

i'm here to give the thread and band some love by trying to rank their albums from favorite to least favorite.

1. Axioma Ethica Odini - a fantastic album combining key elements of their past (seems faster paced, more aggressive guitar and vocal tone) with their later progged up blend.
2. Vertebrae - mellowing in my old age, I guess. one of their least aggressive albums is amongst my favorites just for the headiness. Black Floyd.
3. Mardraum - just a bit of weirdness and perhaps less-focused prog infused with lots of their aggressive past.
4. Below The Lights - almost a 'standard' metal album, really, just infused with Grutle's harsh vocals. Love Whovian "Dead Stare" and "As Fire Swept Clean The Earth" is still perhaps my favorite song live.
5. Frost - shorter, perhaps more focused, songs than on their initial release. Good old bm style album.
6. Monumension - easily their weirdest and most challenging listens. downright odd at times, first time the Pink Floyd and early Prog influence shows it's face so brazenly.
7. Blodhemn - middle of the road, career-wise, album that seems a tad overlooked between their original material and their more exploratory later works.
8. Eld - a good album, perhaps slightly artificially buoyed on this list thanks to the awesome 15 minute epic 793.
9. ISA - The album that perhaps announced their arrival. Back when I joined MS they had 1/10th the fans they do now. Really good album, but didn't grip me like others.
10. Ruun - as with ISA, was kind of more of the same ideas developed in the predecessor.
11. Vikingligr Veldi - perhaps the length of songs, perhaps the intensity, as much as I like this album (I do), i just prefer what they have done since.

Axioma Ethica Odini is really a great album. I had only heard a few songs from Frost before purchasing it and wow, what a difference. Not a bad one though.

I have an old friend who is also a metal fan, but he never looks for new music. He always asks me to suggest stuff to him. So one day about a year ago I told him that Enslaved was one of those bands that are very hard to get into, but are also very rewarding once you spend enough time with them. I suggested 3 albums that I found the most representative of Enslaved's vaired catalogue: Frost, Below the Lights and Axioma Ethica Odini.

I completely forgot that I told him about Enslaved and about a month ago he stormed into my apartment and started praising Enslaved to high heavens. He was so enthusiastic, that he wanted to buy my Enslaved CD's immediately

This event reminds me that Enslaved is a tough one, but once cracked, it turns out to be an extremely tasty nut, shimmering with variety and inventiveness, daring the listener to defy his habits and venture into new, unexplored waters of imagination.

If I were asked to limit all my music to 10 bands, Enslaved would definitely get a spot. I'm dying to hear their next release.

I've never really been into Enslaved... their earlier works were pretty decent but their "progressive" stuff just puts me to sleep.

If I reworked OBC's list it'd look more like this:

01. Frost (8)
02. Vikingligr Veldi (8)
03. Eld (7.5)
04. Blodhemn (7.5)
05. Axioma Ethica Odini (7)
06. Vertebrae (6.5)
07. Isa (6.5)
08. Ruun (6.5)
09. Below The Lights (6)
10. Mardraum (5)
11. Monumension (5)

Enslaved's later works are really good, especially Ruun and Vertebrae. Axioma has some good songs on it but it certainly doesn't measure up to those two albums.

I was listening to Axioma Ethica Odini on a long drive back home the other day and I spun that album multiple times. It's definitely one of their best albums for many reasons and that song, "The Beacon," is sooo good.

Great band from Norway but I never liked them much, and that's all I have to say about that.

Written by Savopipo on 29.12.2011 at 02:43
Great band from Norway but I never liked them much, and that's all I have to say about that.

You think they're great but you don't like them.

Written by Troy Killjoy on 31.12.2011 at 06:39

Written by Savopipo on 29.12.2011 at 02:43
Great band from Norway but I never liked them much, and that's all I have to say about that.

You think they're great but you don't like them.

i think Hansel can put this in some perspective.. about 50 seconds in.

Written by BitterCOld on 31.12.2011 at 07:11
i think Hansel can put this in some perspective.. about 50 seconds in.

Hansel is ponderer?

For the case of on-topic, my favorite Enslaved song:

I'm also reading this fantasy book called Mad Merlin that discusses a lot of Saxon gods, Wotan among them (obviously).