Enslaved – Ruun

It’s quite a challenge for a band to come with a worthy follow-up record when the previous album is one of the best in your career. That happened to Enslaved and their ISA record. It received great feedback and the public simply loved it. With such a tough act to follow a band has few options. You can either make a record which is very likewise or you can drastically alter your course with the risk of losing a part of your fan base. Enslaved chose to walk the middle road with Ruun…

Enslaved – ISA

Enslaved made quite a name for themselves for pushing the stylistic boundaries of the black metal/viking metal genre. This they achieved by adding elements from seventies prog rock and psychedelics, a process Björnson and Co started from Monumension (2001) and Below The Lights (2003). On ISA (2004) Enslaved try to bring their music to an even greater progressive level.

Enslaved – Vertebrae

Truth be told I’m a bigger fan of later day Enslaved, than of records like Frost (1994) or Eld (1997). It’s on Isa (2004) that Björnson and Co manage to reach their full potential with their progressive rock/black metal hybrid for which they’re known nowadays. This direction gets further explored and developed on Ruun (2006) and reaches its zenith on Vertebrae (2008).

Enslaved – Axioma Ethica Odini

Originally starting as a black metal band, Enslaved have always been about musical progression, not much unlike their peers in Borknagar, Arcturus and Solefald. Major leaps in style were especially achieved on their Mardraum (2000) and Below The Lights (2003) albums. From Isa (2004) and Ruun (2006) on, the band keep refining their specific sound incorporating even more psychedelics and prog rock influences. Pink Floyd is the obvious reference here. On Vertebrae (2008) their prog rock/viking/black metal hybrid style reached its zenith.