After numerous listens, the new Enslaved album still remains somewhat of a mixed bag for me. I guess the guys finally decided to try to reinvent themselves, or at least experiment more than usual, which of course had to happen sooner or later. In general, it looks like the band attempted to take up the approach already tried by other Norwegian patriarchs, particularly Emperor and Immortal - meaning that they turned their heads in the death metal direction, seeking to mold a modernistic and rejuvenating fusion. And indeed, elements of death metal, including growls, have a very pronounced presence on "Mardraum," but at the same time the band still managed to preserve their black/Viking archetype in one form or another. Much has also been said about Enslaved's new psychedelic streak. I won't deny it, I could definitely feel psychedelic vibrations throughout the album, but their role should not be overplayed in any way. I think the purpose was to add some extra spice to the overall sound, but without letting it take any prominent position. Structurally, it is the most complex Enslaved album yet, as the band probably had Voivod-type twisters replete with sudden stops and switches in mind when they were writing their songs. The production is clear, but, unlike "Blodhemn," not as polished. It is very crispy, and when the band really start going at it at full speed, they can sound very noisy.

Now, after the necessary preliminaries, I am ready to delve into the songs themselves. As far as I am concerned, the beginning of the album is its real highlight. On the opening 10-minute track "Larger Than Time - Heavier Than Night" the band set the course for the entire album by juxtaposing furious death/black parts and a marvelous chanting chorus, coupled with Grutle's usual black metal screams, over slow and sublime riffing. The second song "Deadhymn" is a fast and brutal piece with an excellent solo somewhere in the middle. It serves as a nice contrast for the next track "Entrance - Escape," which is a serious contender for being one of the greatest songs the band ever wrote. It starts with some psychedelic-flavored guitar strumming, and then switches to a riff that can only be described as INCREDIBLE and backed by another one of Grutle's genius Viking vocalizations. It then continues to go through interesting changeovers, and at the end again returns to that great riff and a truly amazing solo, which floored me completely.

Unfortunately, after this high point the trouble slowly starts to rear its head, and the band begin to stumble, maybe because of too much pressure, or maybe because of too much enthusiasm - who knows. A couple of tracks immediately following "Entrance - Escape" are still very good, but as we move further down, things become increasingly erratic and uneven and don't quite gel, as if the guys are trying too hard. While there are still plenty of impressive riffs and interesting parts to be found, by the end of the record all the climaxes, complexities, changes and entanglements become a bit too much. The songs can just as often become overloaded, messy and hard to follow, leaving you with the impression that the record is unfinished, which is a shame because the band had a good thing going. I think "Mardraum" could have been a really great album if it had three less songs.

Still, it is nice to see Enslaved moving forward. Sure, some of the old fans will be disappointed, but there is no point to reshuffle the old ideas all over again. This album may be the beginning of a new phase for the band, so I can only hope that there are even better things to come from these veterans.

© 2001 boris