The Enslaved saga continues.
Active since 1991 in Norway, the band is led by Ivar Bjørnson (guitar/vocals, Ivar Bjørnson & Einar Selvik, Blood Fire Death, ex-Borknagar, ex-Phobia…), Grutle Kjellson (bass/vocals, ex-Phobia), Arve Isdal (guitar, Audrey Horne, I, ex-Demonaz), Håkon Vinje (keyboards, Seven Impale), and Iver Sandøy (drums/vocals, Ilti Milta, Relentless Aggression) have announced the release of their seventeenth album, Mið, to mark their thirty-fifth anniversary.
Non-Being sets a dark and unsettling tone to kick off the album, and even when the melancholic guitar kicks in, the sense of oppression doesn’t completely fade, it’s actually amplified when the band launches into I Am Ice, a powerful track with icy Black Metal roots that features not only the three musicians’ vocals but also that of Johan Sara Jr. Prog influences are clearly very present during the quieter passages, but one senses a sort of return to the band’s roots, as they deliver a much more aggressive sound than usual, just as on the intro to Solar Will, where Grutle’s long scream further darkens a cavernous and almost unhealthy atmosphere. Despite its particularly melodious rhythm and backing vocals, the track remains heavy, naturally incorporating ethereal leads and ferocious growls before finally calming down with Mountain, where gentleness and clear vocals come together for a majestic introduction – though it’s also a passage where distortion gradually reasserts itself. The heaviness strikes all at once, then the roars return, once again tinging the soundscape with an oppressive desolation while becoming catchy, before transitioning to the strange, synthesizer-driven introduction of Spirit Helper. The track features Kevin Kicking Woman (an educator from the Blackfeet Nation), who lends it a unique and intense touch from the very first moments, a quality that intensifies with the arrival of soaring riffs, building to a majestic finale before Parting begins with its own intoxicating melancholy. The introduction is very long, but it builds as the vocals come in, then suddenly bursts into life, first letting the clean vocals take center stage, then returning to the rougher parts, before finally breaking apart and restarting just as grandly, only to give way to Tales of Trees and its innate power. The track lets the vocals echo back and forth, guiding the riffs and reinforcing each of the song’s distinct atmospheres, then album comes to a close with I Miðju, the final track, which takes more or less the same direction as its predecessor but picks up the pace after giving us a moment’s respite, then slows down to let the gentle final lull us and mark the album’s final moments.
Far from denying its prog roots, Enslaved has returned somewhat to its former aggressiveness on Mið, and the band delivers a sound that blends both elements, confirming that its unique brand of Black Metal still has a bright future ahead.
85/100