This is probably the best CD ever recorded by ENSLAVED, and if you take a look at the band's new direction, you'll easily understand it will beprobably stay like this forever... I'm not the kind of people who like the use of keyboards in Black Metal, but I have to recognize some bands are real masters with this instrument : EMPEROR, GRAVELAND, KRISTALLNACHT, GONTYNA KRY, NECROMANTIA... These bands manage to use keyboards to create a background atmosphere but do not make it the main instrument without which the music is nothing (which is the case of bands like SETH, DIMMU BORGIR or LIMBONIC ART : take the synth parts away and there is nothing left !). and with this CD, ENSLAVED belongs to the first category. This is probably their album on which there are the most numerous synth parts, but they are used in a very good way, because at hearing this CD, you don't feel like you have an overdose of keyboards !

The lyrics are in Islandic, except for the fourth track (there are 5 tracks in total, including an instrumental one), which is in ancient Norwegian, but the band had the great idea to have them translated in English so you have both translations in the booklet. If you like lyrics "ala BATHORY", you'll certainly find these ones convenient, as ENSLAVED really wanted to be considered as a Viking Metal band at that time. True Viking chants, that's all what it is. And the last track, this (long) instrumental song, is really EXCELLENT, it reflects the nostalgia for ancient times, far away from us now, when this world was not like this...

I'm not really an ENSLAVED addict, as I do not like any of their CDs except for this one (I prefer demo tapes !), but I have to say this one is a masterpiece that every Black Metal fan must have in his personal collection. Even if you don't like other ENSLAVED recordings, listen to this ones it's completely different...

DSP rules...

8.5/10

© 2002 lord pesten