The Cauldron

Enslaved

When one thinks of Norwegian Black Metal, Enslaved is one of the first bands to come to mind. Along with Burzum, Darkthrone, and Immortal, Norway's Enslaved epitomized the frozen wasteland that was the "True Norwegian Black Metal" scene of the 90's. Corpse paint, outfits of black leather and spikes, and a fierce opposition to Christianity exemplified most of the underground at that time.

The music was characterized by its violent tremolo picking, blast beat drumming, and high pitched shrieks and snarls.

Until the end of the 90's, Enslaved did not deviate from the path formed by the "true" Black Metal bands. But 1997's Eld saw a change in their sound. Enslaved shocked many fans by adding Progressive sound structures to their stereotypical Black Metal. By utilizing clean vocals (layman's term = singing) and more relaxed soundscapes, Enslaved was able to realize the perfect melding of Black Metal and true Progression without alienating most of their underground fan base.

Enslaved has continued to build upon their Progressive influences and has released remarkably mature albums such as 2001's Monumension, 2003's Below the Lights, and most recently 2008's Vertebrae. Vertebrae is Enslaved's tenth studio release and it clearly shows how much the band has changed and progressed in the last 17 years.

Vertebrae is definitely not something you can listen to once and fully absorb. Each listen brings out the hidden gems of melody and carefully placed aggression that makes this album worth hearing over and over again.

Vocalist, Grutle Kjellson, has worked hard to include the clean vocals that harmonizes and blends with the distinctive guitars of Ivar Bjørnson. Ambient melodic passages are unexpectedly accompanied by harsh vocals while the heavier, blackened riffs have lush singing over top.

Enslaved's progressive influences are easy to identify without being completely obvious. On "Ground," there are guitar leads that would not sound out of place on a Rush album, with just the right amount of Black Metal to keep the song fresh.

There are vocals that are highly reminiscent of Pink Floyd, at times giving the album a haunting, spacey feel. The guitar solo on "Ground" is bluesy and smooth, giving hints of Pink Floyd's Meddle without sounding like a cheap copy. The guitar flows effortlessly through the album, picking up aggression and speed on some songs and slowing down with harmonic acoustic interludes.

Most of the songs on Vertebrae are in the slow- to mid-tempo range, unlike most of their previous albums. The overall feel of Vertebrae is subtlety; the focus is on how the album feels as a whole, not the individual songs.

Somehow, Enslaved has managed a fusion of Black Metal and Progressive Rock that does not compromise their blackened roots, and is sure to appeal to anyone who takes the time to really hear the masterpiece that Enslaved has released this time around.

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