The words redundancy and complacency are obviously not in the dictionary of the legendary ENSLAVED. They are always ready to explore new territories and have never put out the same album twice in the three decades since their inception. Try to find another band that has attained unreachable boundaries yet still comes back to their roots in different ways, you won’t find better than ENSLAVED.
‘’Heimdal’’ is their 16th full-length album! The Progressive Black Viking Metal band is very prolific, to say the least, and always want to create something new and that is a testament to the band itself. They are considered legends, yet they are there for their fans without a grain of self-loathing or ego.
I remember several years ago, they had a show during one of the worse snowstorms in the history of Montreal. They were stuck in their van and yet they kept updating their status online on the progress of coming to town. We were at the venue from the very beginning and most bands on the bill had canceled and they were replaced by two subpar local bands with no partial or full refunds! Most of the people left the venue but they arrived at 2 AM and played a full set for the very few people that braved the snowstorm and cancellations. Is that dedication or not? They will always have my eternal respect for that and still kick myself for leaving but I had to be up early the next morning for work, unfortunately.
We were treated back in 2021 to the ‘’Caravans to the Outer Worlds’’ EP which was a taste of things to come. It was a mix of instrumental songs, very reminiscent of the very underrated SYG:AR: TYR band. It’s very spacy, and complicated but you feel literally transported somewhere else, it’s a very scenic yet quite haunting in a way. The title track is also on this new opus and it’s a very passionate song with some clean vocals from Grutle that chill you to the bone. So much raw emotion in his voice and you have this awesome guitar solo, crushing yet very powerful. It’s a perfect song for a cold winter day like today.
This album is a game changer, I thought their last few albums were awesome but they take it up a notch. It’s very important for me to see bands grow in front of my eyes, not wanting to repeat patterns and trying to challenge themselves. They question the very existence and boundaries of the genre and they are still in a highly creative mood on this opus.
As for the lyrical themes, they are consistent with most of their careers. They are very akin to nature, their country, and spirituality. This is something really important for the band and ‘’Heimdal’’ is no different from any of their other releases. The lyrics reflect this belonging to nature, how important is to communicate with the land, your surroundings, and not the material world. There is this connection you have with earth that is highly important, more important than anything, They have this bond with the Norse mythology that is always highlighted in their lyrics. I feel this is something very important to them and it’s something they always bring out in their songs.
The rest of the album (other than the title track which I talked about beforehand) proves that not all their original ideas are used on this track!. The album never sinks into monotony. Like all ENSLAVED releases, this one has its fair share of acoustic instrumentals parts. These provide a nice contrast to the black metal. They are hauntingly beautiful, sometimes including ambient for added atmosphere. This album doesn’t focus exclusively on the atmosphere though; there is no shortage of engaging riffs. Part of what makes this release so successful is its ability to flow seamlessly from atmospheric parts to powerful metal parts, and then back again. One great example of this is how the ominous ambient on the title track morphs into one of the album’s most memorable riffs, which later turns into an eerie acoustic passage.
ENSLAVED is certainly not your run-of-the-mill fill. This band is creating expansive genre-defying soundscapes with antique elegance. There is a cold, somber atmosphere to the music, which encompasses a lot of acoustic passages, but there is also a heroic quality to the rhythmic hymn-like melodies that contradicts its dark tone.
There’s certainly been some evolution since “Utgard” and ‘’E’’. Better deeper production, more diversity, and a more resounding nature of the sound set, and slightly ahead of its predecessor in my opinion. I’m not usually big on atmospheric music, but the atmosphere here is so rich it’s hard not to fall captive to the stormy, spellbinding sounds. The vocals fit the music, whether in the form of rasping whispers akin to black metal, or wafts of clean vocals that inspire thoughts of medieval doom metal.
Something should be said about the quality of the album; the production is very good and the album itself is quite classy. It’s hard to compare ENSLAVED to other bands, they are unique in their genre, never sitting down and being happy and content, they want to break new ground, and bring something else to the table. I can’t pinpoint any bad song on the album and each song is its own. Do I have a favorite song, probably not. I feel each song is like an album, something I cannot really say of many bands out there.
‘Heimdal’ is the opposite of what I was expecting. While many bands fall behind this late in their career, ENSLAVED eclipses themselves each time they release new material. As I’ve mentioned, it is truly astounding they made such an amazing album only a few years after another outstanding opus. From the bloodcurdling wails on the title track to the serene yet sorrowful atmosphere, ‘Heimdal’ is an inspiring journey. There is not one song that isn’t great.
1 comment
Great review! I’m incredibly excited to hear this album. It’s good to hear that they’re still evolving and taking risks so late in their career. There’s nothing quite like a new Enslaved album, always a breath of fresh air in the metal world, and the creativity abounds. Love these guys.
Oh, and I could totally see them waiting out a snowstorm and playing at 2AM. They seem to love their fans and are proud of their music. All hail Enslaved!