Tag Archives: Black Metal

Live : ENSLAVED with VALHALL at Parkteateret

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Enslaved proved their worth at the concert at the venue Parkteateret in Oslo on Thursday September 30th. This concert was only their fourth on their Axioma Ethica Odini world tour and they seemed eager to blow minds. They have been around for almost twenty years and may have put on some years, but it doesn’t show—it’s inspiring to see these legends give it their best and deliver a set packed full of incendiary black metal.

The Parkteateret club is a small venue in Grünerløkka—a hip part of  Oslo. It was built as the neighbourhood cinema and still looks the part; the floor leans towards the stage, which turns the club into an intimate amphitheatre. The place was almost packed, but it was still no more than about 200 people getting ready to see Enslaved explode on the stage. The crowd was a great indication on the band’s impressive metal sound. Goth divas, hardcore punks, rock chix, black metal purists and the guy next door all blended together in front of the stage, waiting to be blown away.

However, Valhall was their support band and I was eager to see them, because a friend of mine had read that the band’s drummer was the legendary Fenriz, founder of Darkthrone! That turned out to be just the first hoax of the set, since Fenriz hadn’t played with the band since they recorded a demo in 1987! So, what was this band all about? It all began as a sloppy rehearsal with a vocalist that mumbled, songs that were substandard stoner rock, with titles as “Stoner” and “Easy Rider” and, finally, close to no interaction on stage or with their audience. Very disappointing.

After this dismal set, it could only get better, and better it surely would get. Enslaved went on stage one by one and received welcoming greetings from the audience. They didn’t waste any time and opened with the powerful combo Ethica Odini and Raidho. The sound was loud, tight and the band was at their peak, but Grutle Kjellson wasn’t pleased. The crowd felt limp and passive and he, giant frontman as he is, commandeered the crowd onto the battlefield by comparing the audience to the crowd at a concert with Norwegian Henning Kvitnes. Soon the crowd had fired up and a pleased Kjellson led the band through songs from not only recent releases as Vertebrae, Ruun and Isa, but also older gems from Monumension and Blodhevn. Even though these songs are from quite different eras of the band’s history, they managed to keep their sound very consistent. Although they sometimes raged into pure blastbeating darkness, the overall sound was a mesmerising psychedelic stew of progressive and traditional metal.

I’ve read that Enslaved‘s creative songwriting skills is a combination of democracy and dictatorship, and this was also evident in the way the band interacted on stage. While there’s no doubt that Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson is the definitive frontman in the band, neither member is too afraid of the spotlight. Cato Bekkevold was almost completely hidden behind the drum set, but he was still very visible in the sound, grounding the band with his incredible beats. Lead guitarist Ice Dale showed off his technical flair both left and right of the stage and helped Grutle in his quest of firing up the audience. Herbrand Larsen delivered tasty keyboard licks throughout the concert, but more importantly his clean vocals supplied Enslaved with a counterpart to Grutles demonic roar. Ivar Bjørnson was the quiet conductor on the side of the stage: setting up riffs, themes, and walls of blackened guitars. In the middle of this cacophony, Grutle Kjellson roared, screamed, laughed, threatened and played bass like a man possessed. It’s always great to see frontmen balance good-humoured banter with rabid screams, all the while summoning Odin with fierce musicianship. Incredible!

I felt ripped through catharsis when I exited the club after the gig—the band’s music both fueled and bled me at the same time. The fusion of Enslaved‘s black metal roots with the recent year’s twist of progressive metal is a mind-expanding experience in concert. The band is on tour now and will hit the states in November. If you want to see the great black hope of metal in 2010, go see them!

Review : ENSLAVED – "Axioma Ethica Odini"

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Enslaved – Axioma Ethica Odini
Release date: 2010Sep28 (US)
Label: Indie Recordings
Rating: 5/5

This fall, two black metal luminaries—Dimmu Borgir and Enslaved—will tour Europe in support of their fresh releases. Enslaved have released their new album Axioma Ethica Odini one week before Dimmu Borgir unleash their opus Abrahadabra upon their fans. It’s definitely a exciting time to be a disciple of Norwegian black metal! Axioma Ethica Odini is worth all the attention you can give it —the Norwegian band continues to expand the twilight zone between classic metal and the progressive sounds of the future with great success.

It seems that Enslaved‘s previous studio effort, Vertebrae, felt like a minor letdown for quite a few critics and fans after the massive Isa and Ruun. Some blamed the producer and some blamed the increased use of clean vocals in the band’s music. I have a strong feeling that most of those critics will be silenced when they put this album on the stereo – just listen to the massive groove of the first track “Ethica Odini”; the blackened power of their legacy fuses perfectly with the more accessible output from their previous record. My biggest complaint on Vertebrae—the interplay of the demonic vocals of Grutle Kjellson and the clean vocals of Herbrand Larsen—are now a joy to behold. Sometimes it sounds like one voice; fading in and out of purgatory. This album also feels less “produced” than its predecessor; even though I like a lot of Joe Baresis work (Tool, QOTSA), I feel that Vertebrae lost some of the needed darkness that this kind of music feeds on. Now though, that darkness have returned in force, but it feels more alive. Enslaved have invoked the same dance of light and dark of their Swedish neighbors, Opeth.

I have fallen in love with this album. In the time of digital formats, streaming and downloaded hit singles, I feel ever more connected with the concept of the album. The flow of interconnected songs, concepts and beautiful mythology is our treasure chest in this environment of self-proclaimed profit prophets and video stars. Almost twenty years after Nirvana‘s attack on the anemic record industry, it seems that music is again in need of a shift in the underground and I wouldn’t be surprised if metal music will be the new saviours of rock music.

But what of the music? Well, I think that even with a gun to my head, I’d be hard-pressed to find any definite faults with this album. Of course, my feelings are filtered through hype, fanboy excitement and the integrity of Enslaved‘s previous releases. But, I honestly feel that Axioma Ethica Odini will satisfy every disciple of black metal, young and old. “Ethica Odini” is a nod to the history of black metal, “The Beacon” melds nineties insistent riffs with clean harmonies and “Night-Sight” is a rollercoaster of progressive rock and incendiary black metal.

Enslaved keeps on exploring their boundaries and are eclipsing the black metal subgenre with Axioma Ethica Odini. This time they’ve reached a pinnacle of heavy music; the Norwegian band has released one of the strongest contenders for 2010 Album of the Year!

FCC: OK
Try: All!

01. Ethica Odini
02. Raidho
03. Waruun
04. The Beacon
05. Axioma
06. Giants
07. Singular
08. Nightsight
09. Lightening

Review : ENSLAVED – "The Wooden Box"

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Enslaved – The Wooden Box
Release Date: 2009Oct09 (EU)
Label: Viva Hate
Rating: 5/5

The eagerly-awaited album Axioma Ethica Odini by the Norwegian metal band Enslaved will be released on 27th September 2010. This record will be the follow-up to the band’s record from 2008, Vertebrae. I suspect the expectations are running high after the split reception Vertebrae got in the press and from the fans. Some people felt the band’s journey into progressive metal had strayed too far from the band’s black metal roots, while others felt the album was a natural successor to the albums Isa and Ruun. Well, I suppose it’s in the eye of the beholder.

To make the waiting period a little shorter, I’ll review the fantastic boxed set the band released last year, Wooden Box. The box set is the perfect gift to any Enslaved fanboy—pricey, but worth every penny. To cut a long story short – it’s the band’s output from their first demo cassette up to the album Below The Lights. The boxed set includes the demo cassette, seven vinyl releases on 180gr vinyl and two pieces of merchandise (a camo green cap and a belt buckle). And oh yes, did I mention there are only 700 copies worldwide?

The box itself is a stunning piece of art—a dark brown wood box with the band’s logo etched on the cover; it oozes vinyl fetish and is the perfect container for the band’s music. So what’s the music like?  First thing first:  I have not been able to listen to the demo tape, as I have been without a cassette player since the beginning of the nineties. But my record player is still running, so let’s move forward to 1992 and the previously unreleased instrumental, Hal Valr—a one-sided vinyl gem. The sound is rough, close to ugly. But this genre is well-known for its often crap production—it seems right in a wrong way. The song is a straightforward metal jam, but reveals that Enslaved‘s ability to groove was present early in the band’s career.

As I put the oldest record of the set, Frost, on the turntable, I’m transported back in time to when black metal was a infamous sub-genre, with Varg Vikernes burning churches and later imprisoned for killing his former friend Øystein Aarseth (to whom Enslaved‘s first full-length album, Vikingligr Veldi, is dedicated). In this environment the album must have sounded great, but I feel Frost sounds a little dated in 2010. However, such tracks as the thundering “Fenris”, the surprisingly mellow “Yggdrasil” and the furious ”Svarte Vidder” makes this album worth checking out.

The albums that followed—Eld and Blodhemn—were released in the second half of the nineties. Rock was turning into a “safe” and boring entity, music journalists pronounced that “rock is dead”, and electronic music was hailed as the future for rock. Enslaved didn’t seem to listen, because songs like “793″ (Slaget om Lindisfarne) is a massive 16-minute monument to the band’s visionary viking metal.  The rest of the songs on these albums, especially on Blodhemn, feel like classic black metal. Growling vocals, blast beats and sky-high walls of guitars.

The next record in this set, Mardraum, was originally released in 2000. The feeling of rebirth with a new millennium seems to have inspired Enslaved. This record is often left out when fans discuss the band’s best releases, but holds its own with a renewed focus on progressive riffs and arrangements borrowed from the classic rock of the ’70s. It’s still black metal, but clearly the band had started out on a journey where the focus would be on evolution rather than the status quo.

The world suddenly felt much smaller, and more dangerous, after the bombings of the World Trade Center in New York.  Enslaved released Monumension only a few months later—a first in many ways for the band.  Not only were all the lyrics now in English, but the record moved past the media stereotype of black metal; the band was compared beyond Immortal and Emperor, to Neurosis and Pink Floyd. They still clearly played black metal, but the band’s sound had mutated into what one could call post-black metal. It’s on this record that we hear the birth of today’s Enslaved, with great tunes such as “Vision: Sphere of the Elements – A Monument Part II”.

The last record in this boxed set is Below The Lights from 2003.  It feels like the band’s final transformation from purveyors of classic black metal to progressive experimentalists; in the future they’d cooperate with noise duo Fe-Mail in the collaboration Trinacria, and share the stage with the Norwegian free jazz/metal pioneers Shining. This album however, showed the way to the band’s major successes in the second half of the decade:  Isa, Ruun and Vertebrae.

Is the box set flawless? Well, no. The cap is too small (must be meant for children), Hal Valr could have been better, and the records should have been packaged in proper cardboard covers. But The Wooden Box is as close to perfect as most bands get in their lifetime. Strongly recommended!

FCC: OK

Tracklist:

Disc 1 – Hal Valr
1. Hal Valr

Disc 2 – Frost
1. Frost
2. Loke
3. Fenris
4. Svarte Vidder
5. Yggdrasil
6. Jotunblod
7. Gylfaginning
8. Wotan
9. Isödors Dronning

Disc 3 – Eld
1. 793 (Slaget Om Lindisfarne)
2. Hordalendingen
3. Alfablot
4. Kvasirs Blod
5. For Lenge Siden
6. Glemt
7. Eld

Disc 4 – Blodhemn
1. Intro: Audlumla, Birth Of The Worlds
2. I Lenker Til Ragnarok
3. Urtical Gods
4. Ansuz Astral
5. Nidingaslakt
6. Eit Auga Til Mimir
7. Blodhemn
8. Brisinghamen
9. Suttungs Mjød

Disc 5 – Mardraum
1. Større Enn Tid
2. Daudningekvida
3. Entrance – Escape
4. Ormgard
5. Æges Draum
6. Mardraum
7. Det Endelege Riket
8. Ormgard II – Kvalt I Kysk Høgsong
9. Krigaren Eg Ikkje Kjende
10. Stjerneheimen
11. Frøyas Smykke

Disc 6 – Monumension
1. Vonvoys To Nothingness
2. The Voices
3. Vision: Sphere Of The Elements – A Monument Part II
4. Hollow Inside
5. The Cromlech Gate
6. Enemy I
7. Smirr
8. The Sleep: Floating Diversity – A Monument Part III
9. Outro: Self Zero
10. Sigmundskvadet

Disc 7 – Below The Lights
1. As Fire Swept Clean The Earth
2. The Dead Stare
3. The Crossing
4. Queen Of Night
5. Havenless
6. Ridicule Swarm
7. A Darker Place

Review : GRAVEWURM – "Blood of the Pentagram"

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GRAVEWURM – Blood of the Pentagram
Release Date: 2010Oct26 (US)
Label: Hells Headbangers
Rating: 1.5/5

Minimalist and sloppy, in the manner of Hellhammer, Gravewurm releases their seventh full-length, titled Blood of the Pentagram. The album art alone promises a dirty and ugly (dirgly) oldschool-sounding Black Metal album—though I think the artist could have tried a little harder. I mean c’mon, the title of the album is “Blood of the Pentagram” and the art is blood dripping from a pentagram. Anyway, let’s see how it pans out.

I love the simplicity of the music. It’s very raw and straightforward. The vocals are some of the raspiest I’ve ever heard—like crackling whispers. Parts of the album have that real old-school sound, but mostly, and this is my biggest complaint, the production is very inconsistent. The guitars sound great—very raw and gritty. The vocals need some work; it doesn’t sound like the vocalist is in the same room. Get some reverb on that shit for Mozym’s sake. And don’t get me started on the drum machine.

Okay, I’ll start—first, I have no problem with programmed drums. It worked for Quorthon, and it works for me. However, the problem with fake drums these days is that they sound too good. Placing drum tracks with high production value into a a low-fi mix makes it sound way out of place, especially when it doesn’t synch up in several places. It also feels awkward because they refuse to add drum fills or transitional effects, other than the occasional “cymbal” hit. Every song has that part where the drums are abruptly silenced for a measure or two.

In fact, I would go so far as to say that the guitars sound like they were recorded direct in a bedroom, and the singer didn’t want to disturb the neighbors (or mom), which explains the whisper vocals.

I’m being pretty harsh here. Normally I would say, “Hey, these dudes are raw and blasphemous! They don’t yet have the knack for recording, but maybe there’s some promise!” But Gravewurm has been making music since the early 90s. They should have their shit together. Also, listening to their more recent music from before this album, it pretty much sounds the same. There’s nothing new at all here.

“Two Coins for Charon” finally brings something different—synth keyboards. This is a welcome change. Not just because it mixes it up, but rather I feel it fills the uncomfortable gap between the drums and guitar. But alas, it’s just an instrumental. The album ends on a much better note, however; “The Sign Of A Dark Destiny” is just a plain-old good song: raw and evil, with more dynamic drumming than anywhere else on the album.

If it wasn’t for the fact that Gravewurm intends to be minimalist, I would say that Blood of the Pentagram would be unlistenable due to the production alone. But somehow, it’s just not that bad. Still bad—just not that bad.

Try: 7, 10, 12

01. Goat Command
02. Grave
03. Deeper Dungeons
04. Blood Of The Pentagram
05. Necromance
06. Brought Before The Altar
07. Infernal Devilry
08. Lycanthropic
09. Hordes Of Hell
10. Two Coins For Charon
11. In Praise Of Evil
12. The Sign Of A Dark Destiny

Review : THORNGOTH – "Leere"

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Thorngoth – Leere
Release Date: 2010 June 18
Label: Folter Records
Rating: 4/5

Hailing from Bavaria, Germany, Throngoth releases their third full length, entitled Leere, which I believe means “emptiness”.

From the first note of the first song, “Leere I”, you can feel the guitars’ mild and cold distortion. For most parts of the album, this effect sounds great—very primal. The song blasts right into full-shred Black Metal—very simple and straightforward, with mild gestures of harmony. Just when it starts to feel a bit repetitive, it bridges into a different mood, with some slower atmospheric riffs that remind me of some of Negura Bunget‘s material, minus the synth and alternative instruments.

“Leere III” is an interesting track. It’s blazing blast metal, like the rest of them, but the musical theme is built around arpeggiated chords. It’s catchy, but subtle, unlike Windir or Abgott‘s methods, but it is also very tasteful.

By now, you may have figured out that the song titles are all numerically titled (the exception being “In Der Leere”—an atmospheric/instrumental interlude). And by the time you hear “Leere IV” you begin noticing the melodic elements more and more. Don’t worry though, for they are dark and dissonant melodies.

There are lots of great songs on this album—another being “Leere VI”. It turns into a headbanging, grinding doom/black metal song, somewhat reminiscent of Gorgoroth‘s Twilight of the Idols. Although the barely-audible, ill-attempted synth additions seem pointless.

Most of the other tracks are straight-up Black Metal with a bit of melody. Naglfar comes to mind, except this doesn’t sound nearly as commercial. There’s also some interesting harmony throughout the album, but it’s not in-your-face. If you want some powerful Black Metal, with lots of headbanging quality and brooding melody, pick this up.

Try: 1, 3, 7

1. Leere I
2. Leere II
3. Leere III
4. Leere IV
5. In der Leere
6. Leere V
7. Leere VI
8. Leere VII
9. Leere VIII

Review : HORSEBACK – "The Invisible Mountain"

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Horseback – The Invisible Mountain
Release date: 2010Aug02 (US)
Label: Relapse Records
Rating: 3.5/5

I puzzled over the name Horseback as an appropriate title for ambient black metal.  Perhaps this is what it feels like to have a heroin addiction that’s hard to shake, so instead of a monkey on your back, there’s a horse, get it? Oh, for fun… anyway.  The Invisible Mountain was partially inspired by Alejandro Jodorowsky’s 1973 film The Holy Mountain (not to be confused with the album written by Sleep), and also mainman Jenks Miller’s battle with obsessive-compulsive disorder.  I wonder if the repeated references to his OCD in all these reviews and interviews is striking any chords.  Again, I digress.

The first three tracks hover around the seven-minute mark. All are enjoyable, but they truly reach an acme on the title track. Mighty declarations thunder through the din, like “Raze that mountain! From the seabed to the sky, plow through the Heaven!”.  Miller’s distorted psychedelic darkness comes by way of his atmospheric guitar tones and distant, echoed rasp.  Chaos of this magnitude is pointless without direction, though, so the rolling bass keeps refilling you with life, while every percussive crash arrives like an ignited torch to guide the way.

That’s how side A operates; I had difficulty letting “Hatecloud Dissolving Into Nothing” wash over me.  There is no percussion present here, instead relying on numerous gentle layers of sounds, both beautiful and caustic.  I swear I hear him pick up/put down instruments, tap pedals, and activate various other devices during the recording—it comes across as a live execution using audio loops.  It’s not a track one is often in the mood for, but rounds out the album well as a whole, and those listening with that purpose should be satisfied with the immersion.  Until the fix wears off, that is.

FCC OK
Try 1, 2, 3

01. Invokation
02. Tyrant Symmetry
03. The Invisible Mountain
04. Hatecloud Dissolving Into Nothing