Enslaved - RIITIIR (2012)

Back in 2008 Norwegian metal legends, Enslaved, switched gears to something a bit different and ultimately in the process reinvented themselves and won the acclaim of many new fans. I can honestly say that the three albums that came before, 'Vertebrae' were a little dull and by the time I bought 'Ruun' in '06 I'd pretty much given up on the band creating anything overly special again. Sometime in '08 I happened to stumble upon 'Vertebrae' used and figured I'd give it a chance and was pleasantly surprised too. By the time 'Axioma Ethica Odini' came out in '10 and catching the band live on their US tour I could easily consider myself a fan of modern Enslaved. So, as you can imagine, I was curious when their latest album, 'RIITIIR' was released.

With these two releases tucked into my mind and appreciated thoroughly, I purchased 'RIITIIR' a few weeks ago to see where Enslaved was going in 2012. As no real surprise the album sounds remarkably similar to the last two albums, blending the bands blackened roots with a more progressive metal flow and with occasional psychedelic vibes its another lengthy adventure from these veterans.

Feel the flames, that blind your inner eye

Generally I pretty much loathe most progressive metal, which is odd that I've come to enjoy newer Enslaved outings, but these guys just seem like they've got so much more substance and depth than any Borknagar, Ihsahn or even (newer) Opeth records. I mean were talking about a band that has dynamic and creative riffs and leads, both calm soothing and faster headbanging tempos, incredible drumming, proggy and atmospheric keys alike, portions of piano and acoustic guitars and a fair balance between Grutle's trademark growls and Herbrand's passionate clean singing. There's also a balance of cohesiveness and cleverness that few bands could ever hope to achieve and not to mention that each member is pretty much a master of their chosen instrument.

I'll admit that initially this album didn't really hit home immediately and I don't suppose music of this nature ever really does. However, like any good progressive metal band Enslaved tosses so much in the mix and generally doesn't sound that similar on each song either that those initial listens might not reveal all that is offered. I did however choose to keep listening to this album and after numerous plays through a lot of it started to make sense, reveal itself and really just shine through as a brilliant and enjoyable experience.

There's also a good amount of memorability within these songs, 'Death In The Eyes Of Dawn' has some wonderful cleanly sung parts and lyrics that inevitably got caught in my mind, likewise, 'Roots Of The Mountain' has similar traits and an epic outro to it that few bands could ever manage to come up with. The title track has some meatier riffs and faster tempos that really stick out and make the record feel more aggressive while 'Materal' has a brilliantly black metal beginning with some glorious tremolo picked riffs and tribal-ish drumming coalescing with softer progressive parts and the guitar solo in the middle stands out as the albums finest. 'Storm Of Memories' mingles a lot of classic prog synth passages (reminds me of something off of 'The Dark Side of the Moon') alongside a steady riff for the first three minutes before breaking out into faster territories. 'Forsaken' stands as the albums lengthiest track at over eleven, it also serves as the perfect song to end the album as it bobs and weaves between proggy-ness and more trademark Enslaved characteristics.

The digipak version also comes with a bonus DVD that basically just shows the band discussing and recording the album as well as showing Truls Espedal creating the artwork (which is fantastic BTW). Its not the most profound entertainment, but if you enjoy the music enough it will at least be an interesting accent to the album.

Although it might take more spins than most would care to give, I found 'RIITIIR' to be a fine album that stays in tune with the past two records while still refining their sound and slightly adding new elements. Enslaved has an American tour planned for early 2013, which I naturally look forward to attending... even if I do have to drive over two hours to reach the venue. I'll do it for Enslaved!