Huw Eggington
Never content to just stay in one lane. Whether pushing song length and structure into previously unseen realms for black metal in the early 90s, to their near complete reinvention as a progressive extreme metal powerhouse into and throughout the 2000s, Enslaved have continuously made music that keeps listeners guessing, and their 17th studio album is no exception.
From the first track proper, ‘I Am Ice (feat. Johan Sara Jr)’, you’re greeted with familiar Enslaved, grim and gloomy, frontman and bassist Grutle Kjellson’s, throaty roar being carried on the rolling swell, that is the chunky rhythmic riffing from fellow original member Ivar Bjørnson, complementing the thunderous drumming of Iver Sandøy, like a Viking raiding party cresting over violent waves in the North Sea, on their way to plunder and pillage. As always with Enslaved their sound is anything but one dimensional, there’s melody crafted in the lead lines, an unsettling and mystic feel, bolstered by the keyboards floating underneath everything.
The true standout moments come from ‘Mountain’ which starts as a hauntingly beautiful acoustic lead track, clean vocals, emotionally rousing melody, and dare it be said, an almost pop song edge. Of course Enslaved are no strangers to allowing a softer edge to shine through, and there is a clear respect for pop songwriting throughout huge portions of their back catalogue, but the opening to ‘Mountain’ stands out as a huge achievement for this band, it shows an intense vulnerability, often ignored in the realms of extreme metal.
This beautiful, soft, emotional song rises, gradually, ever steadily, before dropping completely, the silence, that lasts a mere second is near deafening, and then it happens, and in true Enslaved fashion this is completely unexpected. What happens at the 2:36 mark of this stunning acoustic lead track can only be described as a complete dismantling of everything that they had built before. A deep, doomy, percussive riff, syncopated and polyrhythmic it can only be likened to riffing of classic nu metal, the likes of which you’d expect to hear from Korn. The breaks and pauses help this moment to serve as much as a breakdown as transition into a more traditionally heavy sound. It hits so unexpectedly, and the first few listens can come across quite jarring, but when it clicks, this is one of the single greatest moments this band has ever produced.
Elsewhere, ‘Spirit Helper’ sees the band continuing their exploration of folklore, spirituality and ancient traditions, something that has been at the very heart of Enslaved’s music since their earliest days. This time however, they look beyond the familiar realms of Norse mythology and Viking tradition, bringing in Blackfeet elder Kevin Kicking Woman for something that feels ceremonial, spiritual, and personal. A peek into a world and traditions so far from our own, and yet also giving a primal familiarity. The traditional singing, hypnotic rhythms and more restrained instrumentation create an atmosphere that feels deeply rooted in the past, yet somehow entirely fresh. This in part thanks to the fact they are collaborating with living indigenous traditions, making this feel alive rather than a remembrance. This isn’t surprising territory for Enslaved, but it’s a testament to their creativity, and commitment to this tradition, how, after 35 years of exploring these themes, they can still find new ways to express them. This isn’t a bit or a gimmick, it’s something they feel a true connection to. Rather than simply retreading old ground, there’s a genuine sense of discovery, of a band who continue to find inspiration in the ancient world without allowing themselves to become trapped within it.
Then there’s ‘Parting’, eight minutes of Enslaved doing what Enslaved do best. The contrast between the more delicate passages and the absolute ferocity of the heavier moments is extraordinary, the guitars shifting between beautiful, intricate melodies and thick, aggressive riffing, whilst the vocals move from soaring cleans to Kjellson’s unmistakable snarling roar. There’s an effortless quality to the way everything flows, the band never sounding as though they’re trying to force different ideas together, instead allowing each movement to grow naturally from what came before. For a group who have spent three and a half decades pulling their music in every conceivable direction, it’s remarkable just how cohesive something this ambitious can sound.
Criticisms could have been levelled towards Enslaved on the last couple of albums for some, talks of perhaps phoning it in a bit, committing neither to the progression nor the heaviness. However there could be no such criticism given for Mið, this absolutely stands, not only as one of the best records Enslaved has released in the last decade, not even of this century, but one of their finest works across their entire career.