Full-length, Indie Recordings
September 27th, 2010
Another exemplary new full-length album from ENSLAVED, this should get the hair standing on the back of your neck and arms within the first opening notes! No contest! If you are a die-hard ENSLAVED fan and especially a fan of their latter day works of genius Progressive Viking/Black Metal, then this is most likely going to be Album of the Year for you!!!
The album is released through Indie Recordings on September 27th, 2010 in most places though some Release dates differ: Europe - September 27 & North America - September 28.
The album was Recorded at three different studios in Bergen, Norway: Duper Studio, Earshot Studio and Peersonal Sound Studio. Cover art by Norwegian artist Truls Espedal, suits the albums sound perfectly and is a complimentary piece of art in it's own right!
The album is available as a Special Edition in a gate-fold seven-inch format with the entire album on CD and a seven-inch vinyl single as a bonus, as well as a regular jewel case edition and additionally on double vinyl as well. The bonus seven-inch single includes new recordings, "Jotunblod" and "Migration".
A fantastic album with some marvelous tracks from beginning to end, as with all ENSLAVED albums, this demands t be listened to from beginning to end as a complete piece of work. It's still got that glorious epic flowing feel to it, that frigid Pagan iciness, Grutle's gravelly shrieking growls and that magnificent Pink Floyd like Progressiveness to it that has made the band the powerhouse they are today, truly a band to be reckoned with... they have really carved out heir own niche within a genre that become convoluted and polluted by copy cats and overdone Folky efforts! None of that here, just pure genuine effort and passion that flows naturally without sounding like they are trying too hard like some bands... in fact, this record sounds effortless like river flowing downstream naturally.
Tracklisting:
1. Ethica Odini 07:59
2. Raidho 06:01
3. Waruun 06:42
4. The Beacon 05:38
5. Axioma 02:20
6. Giants 06:37
7. Singular 07:43
8. Night Sight 07:36
9. Lightening 07:51
Total playing time; (58:27)
Ethica Odini is the perfect track to open the album with and the track the band chose to introduce the new album prior to official release. Giants is another tremendous track though every track has it's own nuances and merits individually. Fantastic piece of work, I know I will continue to listen to this album many many times again in future, over and over again as I never get sick of it and it never tires me, always makes me want more!
SCORE: 666/666
Reviewed by Damien Bentley // Sept. 21st, 2010
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