Review of Enslaved - Monumension

Enslaved is a band that have continuously delivered quality metal throughout their 10-plus year career. With so many bands coming out of Norway over the past decade and many of them having similar sounds, it is my pleasure to point out that this group of Norwegians have truly set themselves apart from that traditional black/death metal sound. One way this band has succeeded is by straying away from writing about the traditional Satanic/anti-Christian views portrayed by most of their peers. Instead they choose to write most of their songs based on old Northern mythology and paying homage to the old ways of the North. As a result they are dubbed the originators of their very own genre known as Viking Metal. Through the years their sound has changed with each album and the final product has proven to be progressively superior to each predecessor. Enter into the picture, Monumension. The recipe for Monumension is simple. Take all the best qualities from each your previous albums without copying too much and mesh them together to make an album portraying all of these elements. It sounds easy, doesn't it? Think again. So many bands have tried to follow this equation just to fail miserably time and time again. I assure you this is not the case with Enslaved's newest effort. This album takes the technically progressive guitar and bass riffs from all the early albums and combines them with quality drumming heard throughout their entire collection. It's also the simple things they do that make the overall quality that much more enjoyable. Playing bluesy three-chord progressions just to slow down and play some clean acoustical riffs, then inserting some keyboard sections giving the music a somewhat psychedelic feel. What makes the keyboards involved here that much more pleasing is that they are only used in the right places. This band proves they can do it all and not go overboard. If you have been a fan of Enslaved for many years, the best way to describe this release going off of past albums is calling it a cross between Eld and Mardraum - Beyond The Within. Although Bloodhemn was thrown in between those two, this new release doesn't contain it's aggressively violent traits. There is speed here at times, but there are more melodically driven sections that truly show the genius of the writing talent these guys have. I apologize to those that are unfamiliar with Enslaved, because I can't even name a band or two that resemble their unique sound. Try to find some sound clips and see for yourself. Some you might be happy to learn that the band decided to write and sing the lyrics in English this time. If I wouldn't have read the folds for all of the previous releases I've bought, I never would have known they weren't in English anyway. Either way you look at it, the vocals are still as Norwegian as ever containing both growl and melody. It may just be me, but it seems you can recognize the Scandinavian vocalists (Norway in particular) easier than vocalists from other parts of the world. I can't really pinpoint what it is exactly; nevertheless, the Scandinavian style is definitely one of my favorites. To wrap things up Enslaved is a must hear for all listeners of metal. There is something to be liked in every song and they truly stand on their own as far as style goes. Like I stated earlier, I can't think of any band they sound like, or even any bands that are trying to sound like them. In my opinion, it's just not possible. Quality-Norwegian-Viking-Metal from beginning to end.

Release Details

Enslaved

Monumension

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