review by: Roberto Martinelli
Frost is Enslaved’s best record. Umm...Mardraum is Enslaved’s best record. No, wait, Monumension is Enslaved’s best record. No wait...
What a great dilemma for all concerned that Enslaved just kept topping themselves. With the release of the latest one, Below the Lights, it seems now that things may have leveled off a bit. The band has lost guitarist Roy Kronheim and come in substantially from left field, where Enslaved was going deeper and deeper into on Monumension, with its trippy, Pink Floyd meets the Doors parts.
The unconventionality is still present, this time in the form of a delicately trilling flute intro so removed from metal, its inclusion is genius. The track that it’s attached to, “Queen of Night,” has some of the best arrangements on the disk, with simply catchy parts that become fresher each time you listen to them.
But there’s still Viking pride in droves, like the chanted intro and theme to “Havenless,” which is guaranteed to never leave you once you hear it.
Album opener “As Fire Swept Clean the Earth” is a melancholic and romantic one with the keyboard theme that begins and ends it. Later on in the album, on the track “Ridicule Swarm,” Enslaved lays it on thick in the blasting department. In between you have, as we’ve come to expect from this most essential of metal bands, all points in between of tasteful riff progressions and compositions.
Grutle Kjellson’s vocals are as stunning as always. So is the fascinating way Ivar Peersen goes from riff to riff, throwing in a classy, tasty solo when you least expect it.
If you get your hands on this CD, listen to it on different stereos. I was convinced the album was mediocre after hearing it a couple of times in the car. But on my higher quality system at home, it was much better. It’s true that the sound is a little gray - sort of like pocket lint. In the interview in this issue, Ivar Peersen says he loves the production. He describes it as being a live sound. Maybe, but closer to when you have your earplugs in at a show to save your ears. It is an improvement over the last, bass heavy record, but there still is some room to improve.
So the final verdict is that once again, Enslaved has made one of the top records of the year. Below the Lights is their most endearing album yet, and yes, their best. Until next time. (9.2/10)
