Enslaved - Axioma Ethica Odini review
| Band: | Enslaved |
| Album: | Axioma Ethica Odini |
| Style: | Progressive black metal |
| Release date: | September 27, 2010 |
| Guest review by: | Metren |
01. Ethica Odini
02. Raidho
03. Waruun
04. The Beacon
05. Axioma
06. Giants
07. Singular
08. Night Sight
09. Lightening
[Limited Edition Bonus 7" Vinyl]
01. Jotunblod (Doom)
02. Migration
It is almost certainly true that in each professional musician's life - if they are passionate and serious about their art - comes a point, when they become almost too good at what they do and the result is an album that doesn't take very many risks or doesn't include any truly mind-blowing melodies, riffs, solos, etc. For Enslaved, that point of becoming too good to take risks came with 2010's Axioma Ethica Odini.
Few albums will impress as highly on the first listen as this one, but that's not necessarily a good thing when it comes to (extreme) metal. An initial reaction of "I don't quite get it yet, but it's interesting" holds much more promise of an album becoming a true classic than does "OMG! This is awesome!"
Axioma Ethica Odini absolutely cannot be said of having poor production or poor performances, but if the album easily deserves a 9/10 in those categories, it deserves a 7 at best when it comes to the most important area: songwriting. Too many overly simple riffs, a relatively boring overall soundscape that lacks any atmosphere, and vocal melodies that often just don't go anywhere. This doesn't apply to the whole album, but it does apply to quite a large part of it. The exceptions are "Lightening" and "The Beacon", which are the only tracks that have stayed with me throughout the years. "Lightening" in particular still maintains a small amount of that amazing "how did they come up with this?" feeling that was present on Enslaved's earlier albums, most notably on the brilliant and true classic Isa. The rest of Axioma Ethica Odini doesn't make one ask that question and if it did, the answer would be simple: they are too good at what they do, so they can and do play it safe.
The other unfortunate side-effect of Enslaved having become too skilled for their own good on this album, is the lack of a challenge for the listener. I must highly disagree with anyone, who says Axioma Ethica Odini is even remotely difficult to listen to or to digest. For the sake of clarity, this has nothing to do with the production being too good for black metal, instead it has everything to do with a lack of interesting musical ideas. Once again, some - perhaps most - of the greatest art of all time is born when an artist is forced (or better yet chooses to) get out of their comfort zone. Enslaved did that a long time ago and put out some amazing albums, but in the opinion of this reviewer, they have now mostly been on autopilot since 2010.
To end the review on an encouraging note:
For those, looking to get into Enslaved, look no further, this is the album for you and it's not a bad one. That's the good news, the best news is: you'll find much better music if you then go back and listen to Enslaved's previous albums.
Rating breakdown
| Performance: | 9 |
| Songwriting: | 7 |
| Originality: | 8 |
| Production: | 9 |
Written by Metren | 20.08.2016
Guest review disclaimer:
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
This is a guest review, which means it does not necessarily represent the point of view of the MS Staff.
Rating:
9.5
9.5
|
Rating: 9.5 |
Let me tell you how I know that an album is hard to digest but great. When I put it on for the first time, most of the songs blur together, it's impossible to tell them apart. The first impression about the album is accentuated by those cool fragments of songs that remain in my memory. During the second listen I manage to hear most of those fragments. Just when I'm about to play the album for the third time to get those last cool bits, I realise that there are some more cool bits that I picked up during my second listen. With every consecutive listen, the number of cool bits increases, and my mind connects them to respective songs. After 10 listens all bits are in place, the picture is complete and my smile is wider than a six-lane freeway, because the album is brilliant. Read more ›› |
Rating:
2.9
2.9
|
Rating: 2.9 |
Here we are again. I say that because Enslaved are beating the proverbial "Nordic Black Metal" horse to death. It seems like this is becoming a standard out of the Northern European Black Metal scene these days. Scary makeup, growling vocals, droning guitars, and a complete lack of direction other than to throw in some "evil" lyrics. Like anyone will ever go as far as Mercyful Fate did in the 80's lyrically? Doubtful, and I haven't seen anyone do it yet. Read more ›› |
Comments
Comments: 24
Visited by: 126 users
| Nihil Aeternum Posts: 127  |
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| Metren Dreadrealm Posts: 1410  |
Written by Nihil Aeternum on 20.08.2016 at 01:29 I place more importance on songwriting than I do other categories, as most people probably do. The final score doesn't have to be the other scores divided by four, there's no such rule and there's shouldn't be. Any other thoughts on the review, the album or the band?
---- My one-man project's Bandcamp with free downloads: https://dreadrealm.bandcamp.com/
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| Maco Pvt Funderground Posts: 3593  |
Bro you killin me.
---- Crackhead Megadeth reigns supreme.
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| 3rdWorld China was a neat Posts: 4367  |
So you are saying just because they were feeling very comfortable with the songwriting process here and that it doesn't take risks it isn't a good record? Frankly I don't see any other point you make here. I confess, this was my first Enslaved record and I've only heard their subsequent works and haven't explored their past works. I've tried Vertebrae but the production there was too fucking dry there so I didn't really enjoy that. And I wouldn't say this is an album which you can enjoy the very first time. The melodies here aren't traditional ones, like Daniel noted on his review they are just minute cool parts and notes which I only got to enjoy in subsequent listens which made me come back to this album so many times and get addicted to it back then in 2010. Its alright though  I am not bitching here but frankly I don't think I am agreeing with you on some points here or else just fuck me for being a Enslaved noob and not listening to their earlier records. 
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| MrEdu3 Posts: 23  |
Written by 3rdWorld on 20.08.2016 at 03:06 Yeah, he says, but the notes are 9/7/8/9; Confused as fuck, rsrsrs I'm love that album, and for me, sounds very inspired. Without new elements in the band's sound, but a perfect continuation of the 3 previous albums.
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| Liquid Posts: 43  |
Funny thing, as I just am now getting into Enslaved and this one is the only one of theirs I have right now (not to worry, because Ruun, Isa, Vertebrae, In Times, and RIITIIR are all en route, yay amazon). Gotta say, I had to really challenge myself to find one track I loved here, though after a few spins, it's all starting to play out great. My two favorites are your two favorites, actually, as The Beacon and Lightening are so super good. All I mean to say is that if this is their least dense, least awesome album since they started getting proggier around Isa days? I've got a lot of work ahead of me and way more reward than I was expecting.
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| Metren Dreadrealm Posts: 1410 |
Written by 3rdWorld on 20.08.2016 at 03:06 I didn't say it wasn't a good album, it is good, but nothing beyond that. A first or second or maybe even third album is not a time to take too many risks, but this was their 11th album. They combined the progressive elements with some of their earlier heavier elements on this album and to me that is taking almost no risks. When you're good at two things and then put those two things together, you're not taking risks, which means you'd better write some amazing music, since you're playing it safe. My point is, that the songwriting on the album is merely good (with the exception of the two songs I mentioned in the review), I thought I made that quite clear. Written by 3rdWorld on 20.08.2016 at 03:06 Perhaps there lies the problem. AEO and the albums that followed are in my eyes a trilogy of Enslaved being on autopilot. There are exceptions on each album (One Thousand Years Of Rain is awesome), but that's my feeling overall. You might want to try Isa and Ruun, if you're trying to get into their earlier material. Written by 3rdWorld on 20.08.2016 at 03:06 I remember enjoying AEO immensly on the first listen, I actually loved the album for years. It is only in the last year or so that I realized I don't really know why I loved it so much in the first place. Giving your opinion on my review is highly appreciated, so no, you're not bitching and if you were, I wouldn't mind. I guess I'll end this response by repeating that Enslaveds previous three-four albums really are glorious masterworks and you should try to get into them.
---- My one-man project's Bandcamp with free downloads: https://dreadrealm.bandcamp.com/
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| Mikolaj Account deleted |
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| Metren Dreadrealm Posts: 1410 |
Written by [user id=160508] on 20.08.2016 at 11:55 Not weak, just nothing beyond good, especially by Enslaved's own extremely high standards. Glad you like the album and thanks for commenting
---- My one-man project's Bandcamp with free downloads: https://dreadrealm.bandcamp.com/
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| Nihil Aeternum Posts: 127 |
Written by Metren on 20.08.2016 at 01:35 Even if songwriting would be 10 times more important than the other categories, the "average" would be (9+10*7+8+9)/13 = 7.4. So a 7.0 means that you ignore everything else completely. I, personally, think that this album is not just good but excellent, but it was my second Enslaved album (after In Times) a so I did not listen to them "in order". IMHO, many of the highly-praised previous albums are weaker, especially Below the Lights and Ruun.
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| Metren Dreadrealm Posts: 1410 |
Written by Nihil Aeternum on 20.08.2016 at 14:14 When it comes to albums, the whole can be greater or weaker than the sum of its parts. In this case, weaker. The 7 for songwriting is also pretty generous. That's all I am going to say about that.
---- My one-man project's Bandcamp with free downloads: https://dreadrealm.bandcamp.com/
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| Metren Dreadrealm Posts: 1410 |
Written by [user id=160508] on 20.08.2016 at 22:06 Many thanks 
---- My one-man project's Bandcamp with free downloads: https://dreadrealm.bandcamp.com/
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| M C Vice ex-polydactyl Posts: 3407  |
Ah, but does it sound the same as Gorgoroth and Immortal?
---- "Another day, another Doug." "I'll fight you on one condition. That you lower your nipples." " 'Tis a lie! Thy backside is whole and ungobbled, thou ungrateful whelp!"
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| Metren Dreadrealm Posts: 1410 |
Written by M C Vice on 22.08.2016 at 13:00 Not sure whether you're serious with this question or not. Never been the biggest Gorgoroth fan, but obviously the anwer is no. However, there's one similarity here to Immortal's "All Shall Fall", which is that the songwriting on both albums is good, but many parts sound like the band's on autopilot.
---- My one-man project's Bandcamp with free downloads: https://dreadrealm.bandcamp.com/
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| M C Vice ex-polydactyl Posts: 3407 |
Written by Metren on 22.08.2016 at 16:03 Read the Ponderer review for this album.
---- "Another day, another Doug." "I'll fight you on one condition. That you lower your nipples." " 'Tis a lie! Thy backside is whole and ungobbled, thou ungrateful whelp!"
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| Metren Dreadrealm Posts: 1410 |
Written by M C Vice on 23.08.2016 at 12:00 I see. That review is... different. However, I would appreciate if you gave your thoughts on my review or the album instead
---- My one-man project's Bandcamp with free downloads: https://dreadrealm.bandcamp.com/
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6100  |
Quote: Aside from the fact, that I can't see how you differentiate "simple" riffs from "complex" riffs, I need to ask you a question - since when simple is bad? Quote: So they're too skilled now? How can you tell? I thought they play "too many simple riffs" here? Also, in reference to the quote above: Quote: That's preposterous. How can you determine that they are "too good at what they do"? I'll tell you how - you can't. Quote: Some albums sound great with very good production (e.g. Immortal's "At The Heart Of Winter", Watain's "Sworn To The Dark"), some sound great with bad production (e.g. early Darkthrone, perhaps the best example one could come up with). How do you measure when production becomes "too good"? Quote: I'll skip the part where I explain to you why such very general statements are usually a very bad idea. Just a few examples from the field we're in on this site. - Opeth's best albums, are those that are a logical continuation and development of the formula that was already present on their debut. - The same can be said about Iron Maiden (who probably never stepped out of their comfort zone). - The number of groundbreaking classic debut albums that also defy your unwarranted generalization is simply too big to mention them here. You don't value "Axioma Ethica Odini" as highly as "Isa" and you rate it much lower than me. I have no problem with that at all. But I'm not really convinced by your arguments.
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| Metren Dreadrealm Posts: 1410 |
Written by Daniell on 24.08.2016 at 12:07 Well, simple chords are often just power chord wankery and require little to no technical skill, I don't think it is difficult to differentiate between complex and simple riffs at all. Would you not agree that the opening riff of say "Ethica Odini" is much more simple than the opening riff of "Path To Vanir"? If you're not convinced, simply pick up a guitar and try to play both. You are of course correct that simple isn't necessarily bad. We have a saying in Estonian that goes something like: "There is charm in simplicity". This is why I added the word "overly" to "simple". A good riff can (and many do) be simple or even consist of nothing but power chords (Iron Man is perhaps the best example). In my opinion, however, on Axioma Ethica Odini, there's too much pounding away at a single chord for too long. Again, listen to the opening track. It's cathy, sure and I am guessing it gets you pumped or whatever, but the only thing I can think of when listening to it is: shit, anyone can come up with that. That feeling is the problem for me, when listening to this album. Written by Daniell on 24.08.2016 at 12:07 Too skilled as songwriters, perhaps to the point where they think anything they write is gold (pure conjecture on my part, but this doesn't change the fact that the songwriting on the album isn't anything great) . Should have probably said that clearer. Written by Daniell on 24.08.2016 at 12:07 Again, this was / is pure conjecture on my part. It's just what I hear, when I listen to the album. I see your point, however. Written by Daniell on 24.08.2016 at 12:07 This is simply a failure of my linguistic abilities as English is not my native language. What I meant to get across was: there's no need to accuse the album of having production that's too good. I wanted to make the point that my problem with the album lacking a challenge had nothing to do with the production. Sorry about that. Written by Daniell on 24.08.2016 at 12:07 And that's why I wrote "some" and "perhaps", there's basically no generalization there at all. I'm guessing you wouldn't argue agains the idea of at least a lot of great art being the result of bold risktaking. Written by Daniell on 24.08.2016 at 12:07 Fair enough. This is probably my worst review anyway. I wrote it pretty much just so I could get my thoughts out of my head and to try to understand why my love for this album had faded away over the last couple of years and why it now leaves me with a feeling of "meh". I submitted it to MS because I noticed that the album didn't yet have a more mixed review, it only had your highly positive one and Ponderer's... whatever that was. Thanks for taking the time to comment, I appreciate all comments, but yours is the first one that challanged me to think deeply about how to improve my reviews in the future, less concjecture, more focus on detailed explanations (and I ought to improve my English too, I suppose).
---- My one-man project's Bandcamp with free downloads: https://dreadrealm.bandcamp.com/
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| Daniell _爱情_ Elite Posts: 6100 |
Written by Metren on 24.08.2016 at 12:48 Conjecture. That's another way of describing things by pulling unjustified assumptions out one's... bottom. Written by Metren on 24.08.2016 at 12:48 Again, conjecture. Not a good foundation of a review I suppose. Written by Metren on 24.08.2016 at 12:48 You're saying that what you said in the review is the exact opposite of what you said? Written by Metren on 24.08.2016 at 12:48 Actually I would. Written by Metren on 24.08.2016 at 12:48 You're still sticking to the fallacious assumption that good riffs need to be complex. I guess you have never listened to Black Sabbath, AD/DC, or Motorhead.
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| !J.O.O.E.! Account deleted |
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| Metren Dreadrealm Posts: 1410 |
Written by Daniell on 25.08.2016 at 12:15 The review is founded on the observation that the album isn't anything amazing and is certainly not as great as most people here seem to think it is. The conjecture is me trying to figure out what might have caused Enslaved's drop in songwriting quality. It's not the foundation of the review. The foundation of the review is: this album is good, but nothing special. Written by Daniell on 25.08.2016 at 12:15 "this has nothing to do with the production being too good for black metal" is what I said. Badly worded indeed, should have said something like: "And btw, this is not because I think the porduction is "too good", because I don't and that's not an isssue." Written by Daniell on 25.08.2016 at 12:15 I specifically said "OVERLY simple" by what I meant riffs that anyone with the slightest idea of how to play guitar can come up with. The opening riff of Ethica Odini (if it can even be called a riff) is one such riff, just pounding away at two chords for god knows how long. "Iron Man" is a simple riff and easy to play, but it sure as hell isn't something anyone can come up with and therefor, unlike many of the riffs on AEO, it is not OVERLY simple.
---- My one-man project's Bandcamp with free downloads: https://dreadrealm.bandcamp.com/
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| Metren Dreadrealm Posts: 1410 |
Written by [user id=4365] on 25.08.2016 at 13:25 Thanks for the support. I don't mind people challenging me, but tbh, it can get exhausting. I guess I am just a non-confrontational person, when it comes to my online presence. Probably why I stay as far away as possible from the serious discussions forum. Still, all comments with content are appreciated. I can also understand why people might wish to defend the album, after all, if someone went and gave "Isa" a 7, I might react in the same way
---- My one-man project's Bandcamp with free downloads: https://dreadrealm.bandcamp.com/
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| !J.O.O.E.! Account deleted |
!J.O.O.E.!
Account deleted Written by Metren on 25.08.2016 at 14:17 It's kind of funny watching people scrabble around clutching at straws trying to find ways of invalidating a fairly legitimate and easy-to-grasp opinion. You seem to do well at not getting into a match of hurt feelings and light insults, though. I guess if I did have a critique of the review is you could have spoke a little more about what you did like about it, even it was just perfunctory routine stuff to justify the 7 score. I guess at this point though everyone knows what this album has to offer, and this is more of an addendum to those type of review. Not like every review has to take the same format anyway, I like the post-release era thought piece as much as a full on review. But yeah, I'm sure someone will have a go at Isa one day
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| Metren Dreadrealm Posts: 1410 |
Written by [user id=4365] on 25.08.2016 at 14:33 That's probably because this is just art we're talking about here, I mean, art is important, but it's not life-or-death or anything. Written by [user id=4365] on 25.08.2016 at 14:33 Yup, you're right, I should have offered a more balanced look at the album. As I already said, this is my worst review out of the six I've submitted and that's probably because I was so confused when writing it. Confused as to why I once considered this album a masterpiece. I guess that's why the backhanded "compliment" "they're too good at what they do" made it into the review. This review really was me just trying to get my thoughts out of my head, hopefully I will never write another one quite like this one.  Written by [user id=4365] on 25.08.2016 at 14:33 Wouldn't mind that all, actually, even if the score was a 7 or lower, so long as the critique was well-written. I've read some very negative comments on a lot of my favorite albums on MS and the only thing that's ever disappointed me about those is that they aren't in-depth enough.
---- My one-man project's Bandcamp with free downloads: https://dreadrealm.bandcamp.com/
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