The previous decade mostly had me hooked with Enslaved and all of their recent records, maybe except the admittedly quite solid Utgard in 2018, which was received warmly by the fans despite my own final verdict. All of the band’s works have a lot to discover when engaging with them, and while the same goes with the latest offering Heimdal, it is also a quick eye catcher regardless. The familiar blend of black metal, 70’s progressive rock and slight psychedelia, still resonates all across this album, but they gratefully cater heavier and more unconventional (even jazzy) patterns here and there, showing the everlasting calibre of the band.
Grutle’s vocal work is impeccable, with excellent clean voice parts in chorus-like sections or in forms of narration, and powerful screams when the tracks dictate so. The gallery of melodies in Heimdal is vast, taking trips to prog directions through the lens of the band and not the genre, with a rhythmic complexity that is apparent but still easy to comprehend and enjoy as the album unfolds.
Enslaved also employ little recurring elements in the compositions, like the use of synth keys in a few instances especially in “Forest Dweller”, which features keyboards similar to “The Sacred Son” from the album E and texture-like synth sounds similar to “Forsaken” from the album RIITIIR.
The band’s more combative nature lies in parts of “Kingdom”, which also has instant attention grabbing guitar work in the introduction, the wondrous and intriguing highlight “Mongolia” and in “Caravan to the Outer Worlds” and towards the end of “The Eternal Sea”. Heimdal opens with the sound of water flowing, and a deep sounding horn, executed Eilif Gundersen from Wardruna, which ensures everyone of us that these guys are real vikings. Even though that opening track “Behind the Mirror” would be on the less aggressive side of Heimdal, it sets the tone perfectly as a starter and sets the foundation of this wondrous album.
Enslaved still marches forward after thirty years of activity in the scene, with a firm background and interesting innovative touches that would attract metal and non-metal fans alike. Heimdal’s musical quality is indisputable, what’s left is only for the listener to appreciate it.
DAMAGE: 4.75/5 [Brilliant]
Release date: 03 Mar 2023
Release label: Nuclear Blast
Listen: Bandcamp
No comments:
Post a Comment