Some bands are just taken for granted these days. Some bands become so established, so familiar that they’re almost like part of the ‘listening furniture’ – an institution if you will – that, even if they’re universally acknowledged as providing quality output, its sometimes hard to get genuinely excited about them.
I think Enslaved are one of those bands. They’ve been around for over 20 years, consistently and continuously releasing worthwhile records. Not for them the melodrama of splits and reunions, of infighting, ridiculous hyperbole or good old fashioned ‘they’ve gone shit’ developments of many of their contemporaries. Nope, the Bergen-based Vikings have gone about their business quietly, confidently and with a minimum of fuss. Evolving, innovating and yet staying true to their roots and never losing sight of their identity. The consummate craftsmen if you will.
As with any band who have a back catalogue that spans more than three albums, debate rages as to the value of their various phases. The hardcore (i.e. most people over 30) refuse to acknowledge anything after 1994’s ‘Frost’ whilst those coming for a more progressive, less underground perspective tend to favour material from ‘Below the Lights’ onwards. Time to crack heads together and stop the bickering – it’s ALL good.
And so, like clockwork, album number 12 (12!!!) has landed, two years after ‘Axioma Ethica Odini’ and once again, its business as usual. And business is good. Forgive me if I don’t sound excited here but I can only apologise – its just that with Enslaved, bi-annual excellence has become so regular it is easy (as outlined above) to take it for granted.
RIITIIIR continues to tread the path that Enslaved have walked so deftly since 1998’s ‘Monumension’ album – that is, a careful blend of cold extreme metal and 70s progressive rock. ‘Thought Like Hammers’ begins the latest instalment and once the colossal weight of the main riff kicks in, we are quickly on familiar territory. RIITIIR seems to have upped the prog factor marginally in comparison to its predecessor whilst simultaneously ramping up what can only be described as the ‘epicness’ – no mean feat.
Therefore, ‘Death in the Eyes of Dawn’ may boast one of the most soaring opening riffs the band have penned in the last ten years or so, it also manages to cram in numerous winding, progressive passages into the fabric of the song. The album title track meanwhile boasts at once a fistbanging rocker of a main refrain which in itself contains an intriguing technical flourish.
Special mention has to go to the development of keyboard player Herbrand Larsen’s clean vocals on this album. Since joining the band in 2003 his contributions have been ever-more valuable with each passing album and on RIITIIR, it is his tones that dominate the most powerful moments of the album. Be it the ‘fist-in-the-air’, windswept choruses of ‘Veilburner’ and ‘Roots of the Mountain’ or the more psychedelic lollop of ‘Storm of Memories’, these are true highlights that set the spine a-tingling.
Curiously, this only serves to offset the rather bizarre development of the vocal stylings of founder member, frontman and all-round Viking hero Grutle Kjellson. Maybe it’s simply the way that the harsh vocals have been recorded but they sound rather odd throughout the record – dry, gargly, thin and lacking power. I’ve long been a fan of the man’s intimidating shriek but on this album, they fall worryingly short. Here’s hoping this is just an aberration and not an indication of any long-term deterioration.
This aside, RIITIIR is another definite success for the Bergen-based veterans. That they manage to keep the various threads of their sound so deftly weaved into a coherent whole (just take the ebb and flow of album closer ‘Forsaken’ which fades out into a chiming, melancholy piano-led finale for example) is a joy to behold.
Please don’t take these guys for granted – prolific and blessed by longevity they may be but they are also one of extreme metal’s treasures. A truly talented and creative band, fully deserving of everyone’s time.
(8.5/10 Frank Allain)
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