May 1993. Two young upstart Norwegian black metal bands share the limelight on a split release from Candlelight Records. Both subsequently follow very different musical ideologies and career paths, but grow to be equally influential and universally revered. Jumping forward almost 30 years, it’s interesting contradiction that a large number of Emperor fans begrudge hearing anything after 1994 being played live, yet simultaneously bemoan the lack of new music since 2001.
This same irony has never plagued Enslaved, who have provided an ever changing yet consistent oeuvre of work over the course of three decades. They remain one of a select few bands whose fanbase continue to hold the same reverence for new music as well as the classics of yesteryear. This new release treads a similar sonic path to 2017s “E” and 2020s “Utgard”. Both were a bit hit-and-miss to my ears, however, “Heimdal” sees Enslaved return to a level of consistency that really commands the listener’s attention.
“Behind The Mirror” heralds the opening of this opus with a bleating horn, doubtless conjuring images of the albums titular Norse god blowing on Gjallarhorn to warn of invaders. “Congelia” follows hot on its heels with a change of tempo, a seriously heavy tune boasting crusty D-beat rhythms and dirty heathen riffs that bring to mind earlier works, contrasting with much of their modern output.
“Forest Dweller” starts off as a folky, laid back atmospheric number as the title suggests, representing Enslaved at possibly their most accessible, prior to exploding into a raging progressive black metal masterpiece complete with jazzy keyboard breaks. “Kingdom” is a stand-out track for me, with its urgent intro of layered guitar riffs, off-kilter percussion and disembodied spoken word passages enhanced with soaring clean singing.
“The Eternal Sea” continues our journey of proggy splendour with its odd, pleasantly jarring yet spacy keyboard riff passage, before “Caravans To The Outer Worlds” sends us truly orbital. Originally released as the title track of an EP two years ago, it fits comfortably along the serene madness of this album; a calm yet foreboding intro segues into frantic high tempo riffage, accompanied by Grutles signature rasp. It perfectly summarises the myriad of soundscapes sprinkled throughout “Heimdal”, before the album ends with a doomy and discordant, semi-industrial title track.
“Heimdal” manages the deft balancing act of being epic and sprawling in scope, yet concise and punchy in delivery. Complex progressive metal stylings pioneered by the likes of Cynic blend seamlessly with raw, savage Darkthrone-esque passages, and even a smattering of classic hard-rock chops akin to Deep Purple. There are no weak points on this album, and I heartily recommend consuming through high quality headphones in a darkened room.
(8.5/10 Doogz)
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