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Fenrir
Apr 26, 2005

I found my kendo stick, bitch!

Lipstick Apathy
:siren: The latest album, In Times, is up and streaming here on youtube. It dropped today in Europe, and will release on the 10th in the USA. :siren:

Enslaved (obligatory Wikipedia link, it's not the best wiki page though) is a metal band from Norway that's been called nearly every subgenre in the book at one point or another. The one a lot of people tend to go back to is "Viking Metal" since they are the band that more or less popularized the term. I think Bathory had used it before, but Enslaved printed it in the booklet for the Frost album and it became A Thing.

The Band
Because they're a viking/folk/whatever metal band, here is an obligatory pic of them in the woods:

Left to right: Cato Bekkevold (drums), Herbrand Larsen (keyboards/clean vocals), Grutle Kjellson (bass/vocals, mostly growls), Arve "Ice Dale" Isdal (guitars), Ivar Bjørnson (guitars, primary songwriter, especially in the old days)

Grutle and Ivar started the band as teenagers and brought in Trym Torson (drums) but he left in '95 to join Emperor. After that it was a revolving door of guitarists and drummers for while, but now it's been the same 5 guys since 2004.
Here's the only live picture I can find with all 5 of them in it:


The Music
It's probably easiest to break this down into 3 different eras, since they've changed a whole lot over the years. Early on they were essentially a black metal band, although they always had the viking theme going on. They were part of the black metal explosion in Norway in the early 90s, and were even signed to Deathlike Silence, the label run by Euronymous of Mayhem before Varg killed him. They wandered into prog territory fairly early on, but there's a pretty clear change of style after the Eld album, and another when the major lineup changes of 2003/2004 happened. The *** after an album means it's my favorite from that era.

(Sorry these album cover images are small, but since there are a FUCKTON of them I figured it would be better to just resize them all to 200x200 so this post doesn't scroll for a week and a half)

- The Early Years (1991-1997)
They had two demos, Nema and Yggdrasill in 1991 and 1992. The latter is pretty easy to find online, the former... well, not so much. Mostly straight up black metal at the time. After that they started to branch out a bit, although nothing like what would come later.


Hordanes Land (1993), released two ways - one as a standalone EP, and the other with Emperor's first demo/EP as a split album.
All-father Odin is still a staple in concerts, and seriously, it sounds so much better live.


Vikingligr Veldi (1994), notable for being one of the last albums released on Deathlike Silence, after Euronymous was murdered.
In a lot of ways it's easy to call this a prototypical early 90s black metal album, but I feel that sells it a bit short. Even this far back, there were still some progressive elements to their music, they just weren't anywhere near as pronounced. There's also some really weird keyboard stuff here and there, especially in Midgards Eldar. Most of the lyrics here are in Icelandic, because it's pretty much the closest surviving language to Old Norse.


Frost (1994) "VIKING METAL"
If there were ever a real Black Metal album in Enslaved's catalog, this is it, or at least, it's the closest they've ever been to it. Right up until Yggdrasil (otherwise known as 5 minutes of really cool chanting and folk singing) happens. Then it's right back to square one when trying to classify these guys. At this point they were actively trying to distance themselves from the whole black metal thing, hence the big "VIKING METAL" in the liner.


Eld (1997)***
I could talk about this album or I could just link you 793. Click this, it's good for you.

- The Middle Era (1998-2004)


Blodhemn (1998)
This is where I got on board the train. I'd been listening to a good bit of black metal already, and in fact that's how I found these guys to begin with. I was in IRC and listening to Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk (a Really Good Emperor album) and I asked people if there was anything else around sorta like that. Half the channel immediately pointed to this album, and while I'd heard some Enslaved before, I never listened to a whole lot of it until this. Honestly it didn't sound that much like Emperor but I enjoyed it all the same. This is probably the sharpest left turn in the band's career. It sounds almost NOTHING like Eld, and they were only released about 16 months apart. A lot of that can be contributed to the presence of Peter Tagtgren from Hypocrisy, who produced both Blodhemn and Mardraum.


Mardraum - Beyond The Within (2000)***
Now this right here is a masterpiece. Blodhemn got me on the train, but this is where they became arguably my favorite band. This is another case of "I could talk about it or..." So, here's Større enn Tid - Tyngre enn Natt.


Monumension (2001)
Every band that lasts this long seems to have that one album... the weird one. Welp, this is the weird one. I hear this and always feel like the guys were just listening to way too much Pink Floyd and went a little out of their comfort zones - further than they were ready for. I consider it their only major misstep and even through that there are some highlights here even if they are few and far between. Also, from here on out Enslaved switches to English full time.


Below The Lights (2003)
The guys seemed to agree with me about Monumension, because this album is another considerable left turn. BtL and Isa should almost be considered an era unto themselves, being very similar albums but different from the previous stuff. I only keep it here because there are definitely callbacks to Mardraum and Blodhemn, even as it goes another direction entirely. This is Arve's first album with Enslaved, and that in itself was a significant change.


Isa (2004)
I don't think I have ever seen, before or since, an album as hyped as Isa was in comparison to the size of the band's following. I think it all started with some internet review that went sorta viral (as viral as things really went in 2004) where some guy called his review copy "the best thing I've ever heard, period" and, well, when it came out that was hard to argue. Isa is the closest thing Enslaved has to a "concept album" - the songs all sorta run together and transition into each other, and it's just incredibly solid from start to finish. This is the first album with Cato on drums, and Herbrand joined about this time, but his presence wasn't really felt until Ruun. I believe most of Isa was already done before he actually joined the band.

- The 5-piece Era (2004-Present)
I think this is the most clear cut divide, because things changed dramatically with the addition of Herbrand Larsen. There are significantly more clean vocals (most earlier albums would have a few songs with them at most, but this is the point where they become a staple and are present on almost every single song). There are also a lot more keyboards and the band just takes a more progressive turn from here in every way imaginable.


Ruun (2006)
The first album of the Herbrand era, this album caused a bit of an uproar, especially from older fans who still remembered when Enslaved sounded kinda like a black metal band. It wasn't just the clean vocals, although that was a huge contributing factor.


Vertebrae (2008)
We're still trying to figure out what happened with this one. The production was just flat out horrible, and it was yet another turn-off, even though the songs were loving awesome (IMO anyway). Unfortunately the tour to support the album was as an opening band for Opeth so I didn't get to hear a whole lot of these songs live. The ones they played were amazing, though. After the Memphis show, a friend and I went bar hopping with Grutle, Herbrand and Arve... those dudes can put down some serious loving liquor.


Axioma Ethica Odini (2010)***
After the tragedy that was Vertebrae's production (and budget, I think - it certainly seemed like they didn't have much to work with), the band did most of the work their own drat selves, and wow, was it an improvement. Now, I'm not sure how much this has to do with the album's sound, but this one is the heaviest of the 5-piece era and it isn't even close. There are a lot of places that remind me of Below The Lights and Isa. There are still plenty of prog moments and clean vocals, though. Overall this may be the best album they've ever done. Obligatory link to The Beacon, because yeah, I'm sure no one's at all tired of me linking that loving song in here.


RIITIIR (2012)
Most folks clicking on this thread have heard this one, but where to even start? The guys definitely turned up the prog knob from Axioma. Overall I think RIITIIR is the most lauded for its songwriting of any Enslaved album since Isa. It certainly deserves that, and some of the moments are just breathtaking (the last chorus of Roots of the Mountain is the first to come to mind, but there are MANY more). They've gone back to making lots of 8-10 minute songs again, and that continues with In Times, which doesn't have anything shorter than 8.


In Times (2015)
Go listen to it!
First impressions - It's a little harsher than RIITIIR but in a good way... until suddenly there are long clean passages the likes of which we never had before. There's more overall contrast, and the songwriting is brilliant as always. I'm on my 3rd listen now and I'm really enjoying it. The title track In Times is probably the highlight so far, although Building With Fire is right the gently caress up there.


- Other stuff


Trinacria - Travel Now Journey Infinitely (2008)
A collaboration between noise group Fe-mail and Enslaved, it's a bit weird unless you're into noise, although honestly it's not all that "noisy" compared to the usual fare of the genre (i.e. Merzbow). A neat listen but it does tend to get monotonous at times.

They've also got a couple live recordings: Live Retaliation (2003) and Return to Yggdrasill (2005), and I'm curious if there are any more on the horizon. Hopefully so, they sound pretty goddamn good live. Also, there was an EP for free download a few years ago called The Sleeping Gods (2011). I think it's stuff that just didn't make it onto Axioma, and there's definitely a drop-off from the stuff that DID make it. Still very much worth a listen.
A second EP called Thorn came out later that year, containing two songs done in a very lo-fi way, sort of a callback to the band's demo days. It's a little jarring if you've gotten used to their later material first, but still good.
Finally, there was a split album with the really oddball group Shining, which featured one song that would later make it to the In Times album (One Thousand Years of Rain) as well as a cover of Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song". Still haven't gotten my hands on that, but I'll definitely get around to it at some point.

E1: Fixed an error
E2: Added first impressions of In Times
E3: Added Thorn because I'm dumb and forgot about it

Fenrir fucked around with this message at 21:03 on Mar 6, 2015

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Fenrir
Apr 26, 2005

I found my kendo stick, bitch!

Lipstick Apathy
The latest tour is already underway, but there are still a lot of dates left.

2015 Enslaved tour dates with Yob and Ecstatic Vision:

3/5 San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick
3/6 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
3/7 San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s
3/9 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater
3/10 Vancouver BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
3/11 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
3/13 Salt Lake City, UT @ Bar Deluxe
3/14 Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
3/16 Minneapolis, MN @ Mill City Nights
3/17 Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
3/19 Toronto, ON @ Opera House
3/20 Montreal, QC @ Les Foufounes Electriques
3/21 New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre (If you're going, I'll see you there!)
3/22 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
3/23 Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage
3/24 Boston, MA @ Sinclair

I've never heard of Ecstatic Vision, so I guess I should go look them up.

Less Claypool
Apr 16, 2009

More Primus For Fucks Sake.
Yeah Enslaved are really loving good. I really like the progressive sound that they transformed into, instead of the traditional black metal sound they had in the beginning. Their keyboardist for me really makes the band.

Fenrir
Apr 26, 2005

I found my kendo stick, bitch!

Lipstick Apathy

To Battle posted:

Yeah Enslaved are really loving good. I really like the progressive sound that they transformed into, instead of the traditional black metal sound they had in the beginning. Their keyboardist for me really makes the band.

:agreed: I even said as much when I talked to Herbrand in Memphis. He really did add a new dimension to the band, and while I still love a lot of the older stuff (Mardraum and Isa in particular), the latest era is definitely their best work.

Less Claypool
Apr 16, 2009

More Primus For Fucks Sake.

Fenrir posted:

:agreed: I even said as much when I talked to Herbrand in Memphis. He really did add a new dimension to the band, and while I still love a lot of the older stuff (Mardraum and Isa in particular), the latest era is definitely their best work.

Defiantly.

Plus it is nice to see them not go the way of other Norwegian bands and just focus on the music.

Xenochrist
Sep 11, 2006


Fenrir posted:

The latest tour is already underway, but there are still a lot of dates left.

2015 Enslaved tour dates with Yob and Ecstatic Vision:

3/5 San Diego, CA @ Brick By Brick
3/6 Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre
3/7 San Francisco, CA @ Slim’s
3/9 Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theater
3/10 Vancouver BC @ Rickshaw Theatre
3/11 Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
3/13 Salt Lake City, UT @ Bar Deluxe
3/14 Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
3/16 Minneapolis, MN @ Mill City Nights
3/17 Chicago, IL @ Thalia Hall
3/19 Toronto, ON @ Opera House
3/20 Montreal, QC @ Les Foufounes Electriques
3/21 New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre (If you're going, I'll see you there!)
3/22 Philadelphia, PA @ Union Transfer
3/23 Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage
3/24 Boston, MA @ Sinclair

I've never heard of Ecstatic Vision, so I guess I should go look them up.

Thanks for the thread. Love Enslaved. And I've never heard of Ecstatic Vision either but I am super stoked for this tour :rock:

sticklefifer
Nov 11, 2003

by VideoGames
I'm gonna write a bunch because I've been a huge fan since the "middle era" too (right around Below the Lights is when I started noticing them), though I've only gotten the chance to see them twice. I don't see each album as "topping" the last, more like expanding or going in new directions. Enslaved are really good about doing that sort of thing, and there's nothing in their catalog I don't like because it's all so different and distinct. You think they're going to do another heavily prog album and they do a rawer-sounding blacker album like Axioma Ethica Odini. You think their songs are getting more to a radio-friendly length and then they release an album of nothing but 8+ minute tracks like In Times. You're waiting for news on a new album and they release a weird vinyl EP with intentionally lo-fi sound like Thorn.

They're somehow at the same time incredibly consistent and completely unpredictable.

So far after repeated listens I really like In Times as a full album, but don't find individual tracks stand out as much as they do on their last several. Not a bad thing, mind you - I like having a whole album to delve into and that's pretty much a prog standard. It's just really solid, and I like it more every time I listen through. They're really making their black and prog elements more seamless though, and there's even some really cool folky bits on it. I haven't heard a Nordic chant on an Enslaved album in a while, but One Thousand Years of Rain whips one out. Riitiir absolutely blew me away and was probably my most anticipated album of the past decade, so it was always going to be hard to top that, but like I said they're not really about topping previous albums so much as exploring new directions, and In Times does that really well.

I'm glad they're getting some bigger recognition now, especially after some of Sam Dunn's documentaries - Metal: A Headbanger's Journey uses 'Havenless' prominently during the black metal segment, and has a segment exclusively about them in his Extreme episode of Metal Evolution. I'm going to see them at some point on the west coast tour and maybe follow a couple shows if I have the time/money. I'm always interested by their opening acts too. They seem to like having a lot of stoner/doom bands open for them.

Fenrir posted:

Monumension (2001)
Every band that lasts this long seems to have that one album... the weird one. Welp, this is the weird one. I hear this and always feel like the guys were just listening to way too much Pink Floyd and went a little out of their comfort zones - further than they were ready for. I consider it their only major misstep and even through that there are some highlights here even if they are few and far between. Also, from here on out Enslaved switches to English full time.

Either you're nuts or I'm nuts because I love Monumension. Convoys is one of my all-time favorite tracks of theirs and there's lots of great stuff like Cromlech Gate, The Voices, etc. The only really weird WTF track on there for me is Hollow Inside.

And I know you love The Beacon, but Singular has got to be my favorite on Axioma.

Fenrir
Apr 26, 2005

I found my kendo stick, bitch!

Lipstick Apathy

sticklefifer posted:

a weird vinyl EP with intentionally lo-fi sound like Thorn.
gently caress, I knew I forgot something.

sticklefifer posted:

Either you're nuts or I'm nuts because I love Monumension. Convoys is one of my all-time favorite tracks of theirs and there's lots of great stuff like Cromlech Gate, The Voices, etc. The only really weird WTF track on there for me is Hollow Inside.
I think I came off a little too harsh on Monumension but all things said I still consider it their weakest album. Convoys and The Voices were pretty drat great though.

sticklefifer posted:

And I know you love The Beacon, but Singular has got to be my favorite on Axioma.
Can't go wrong with anything on Axioma, really. I go on about the Beacon a lot because it kinda became a joke when I posted it a whole lot in the metal thread. Ethica Odini and Giants are probably both better songs. Singular is up there as well.

sticklefifer
Nov 11, 2003

by VideoGames

Fenrir posted:

gently caress, I knew I forgot something.

What are your thoughts on Thorn? I enjoy it for what it is. The sound is noticeably different but interesting. I asked Herbrand about the lo-fi production value on it when I met him once and his response was just sort of a nonchalant "That's just how we decided to make it."

Fenrir
Apr 26, 2005

I found my kendo stick, bitch!

Lipstick Apathy

sticklefifer posted:

What are your thoughts on Thorn? I enjoy it for what it is. The sound is noticeably different but interesting. I asked Herbrand about the lo-fi production value on it when I met him once and his response was just sort of a nonchalant "That's just how we decided to make it."
I feel about the same way, but it really never stood out to me a whole lot. That's probably why I forgot about it in the OP. It's definitely a bit of a callback to their early demo type material, and I really wish I'd have been able to get one of the actual vinyl copies, but it was very very limited (1000 records I think?)

Both songs remind me in some odd way of Drudkh's Blood In Our Wells album. That probably doesn't make a lot of sense, but yeah :shobon:

The interlude of Striker was probably my favorite bit of it.

hellocruelworld
Feb 28, 2003

Dude, I See God!
Yeah, I don't think "weird" is an apt description for Monumension. It is a flawed, but interesting album that clearly shows a band in a transition state. There are a few really great songs on that album as well.

Monumension paves the way for the sound they really perfected on Below The Lights, which is probably my favorite album by the band. There's a lot of sections that make excellent use of repetition but have enough subtle changes and build to keep you interested. I could listen to middle section of The Dead Stare all day. They even manage to call back their old "viking" sound with a psychedelic twist on Havenless.

DEAR RICHARD
Feb 5, 2009

IT'S TIME FOR MY TOOLS
I got into them when I saw them open for Opeth. Holy loving poo poo they were amazing. I've seen them 3, coming up on 4, times and I loving love them.

I had a chance to speak with Ivar for like 15 minutes and he was one of the nicest dudes I've ever met. I have a dollar bill floating around with 3/5 signatures.

Henchman of Santa
Aug 21, 2010

DEAR RICHARD posted:

I got into them when I saw them open for Opeth. Holy loving poo poo they were amazing. I've seen them 3, coming up on 4, times and I loving love them.
I was unimpressed with them on that tour and after finally listening to Below the Lights a while back I want to go back and slap 16/17-year-old me in the face. Although to be fair I didn't really enjoy black metal much at all until a couple of years ago.

Pissed I have to work during the Chicago show.

VIRGIN HEAT
May 1, 2009

I'm kind of glad you said Axioma Ethica Odini is the best all-round thing since it's one of my fave albums ever. Was also the first Enslaved album I actually heard, but loving hell it blew my brains away when I first heard it. It's completely amazing. Cracking guys live, I just wish they hadn't finished both sets I've seen with a Led Zep cover. Their own stuff is strong enough!

I'd deffo recommend the free EP from Scion A/V as well: The Sleeping Gods EP

Bruce Boxliker
Mar 24, 2010
I am an Enslaved fan and I finally got to see them last year on the Amon Amarth tour. At one point Grutle pointed out it was their first time in my state and asked if anyone had seen them before. Someone said three times and he said "Really? That's almost more than me!" Later Herbrand introduced him as "a guy who's been to three Enslaved shows".

Anyway, the new album is sweet. I need to explore more of their back catalogue.

DEAR RICHARD
Feb 5, 2009

IT'S TIME FOR MY TOOLS
They were amazing monday night. The new stuff sounded great, but more importantly, they played The Watcher. That made me really happy.

henpod
Mar 7, 2008

Sir, we have located the Bioweapon.
College Slice
I like metal, but have never listened to these dudes. What's the most accessible album? I like black metal fine, but probably prefer things more melodic?

Fenrir
Apr 26, 2005

I found my kendo stick, bitch!

Lipstick Apathy

henpod posted:

I like metal, but have never listened to these dudes. What's the most accessible album? I like black metal fine, but probably prefer things more melodic?

Probably the later stuff then... Start with Axioma.

Kvlt!
May 19, 2012



Enslaved KICK rear end live. If you have the chance to go, definitely see them. I saw them on their last US tour with Amon Amarth and Skeletonwitch and they blew me away, had a crazy intense atmosphere and a great sound, and they also seemed like great guys, making lots of jokes and interactions with the audience both on a humorous level and that "black metal ritualistic magic during our concert" level. Definitely had a blast seeing them, and they sounded great!

sticklefifer
Nov 11, 2003

by VideoGames

henpod posted:

I like metal, but have never listened to these dudes. What's the most accessible album? I like black metal fine, but probably prefer things more melodic?
If you're looking for accessible, I'd actually say the Isa/RUUN time period is a great place to start for new fans. Their songs were generally shorter in the mid/late 00s, you get more of a range, and they're a bit more melodic, having just settled into their current lineup.

Though their stuff always has such a different feel that it kinda depends what you're in the mood for. They've turned way more toward the long as hell prog-metal style in the past couple albums alone, where their songs were often quite a bit shorter in the 00s. I also think Vertebrae is underrated (a bit more on the prog-rock side), and Axioma is also very highly regarded (more on the raw metal side).

So yeah, I'd say start with mid 00s for accessibilty, work your way forward to the proggier stuff, then work your way back to really appreciate the more straight up black metal style they used to do.

Fenrir
Apr 26, 2005

I found my kendo stick, bitch!

Lipstick Apathy

sticklefifer posted:

I also think Vertebrae is underrated

Same here, I just don't recommend it as a first album because the production sounds like poo poo. I still love the album, and when they do some of that stuff live it's amazing (especially Ground, holy poo poo man)

Speaking of live, 9 more days. I missed the last tour, was the first time I'd missed them since 2003, so I totally can't loving wait for this.

Fenrir fucked around with this message at 15:14 on Mar 12, 2015

sticklefifer
Nov 11, 2003

by VideoGames
I'd love to see Clouds played live as well. Dat prog keyboard intro. :mmmhmm:

Any thoughts on Roy Kronheim as a guitarist vs Ice Dale? I never hear much about anyone from their former lineup. It seems like he was capable of a lot of good stuff, like the discordant finger-tapping toward the end of The Cromlech Gate is really interesting. But a lot of the time I can't tell whether it's him or Ivar playing a riff, while Ice Dale is more distinct. That could just be production or their intended style though.

Fenrir
Apr 26, 2005

I found my kendo stick, bitch!

Lipstick Apathy
You know, that was the first thing I had to adjust to in the lineup changes and it was the biggest. At least for the first few albums, Arve felt like a step down. Maybe he still hasn't caught up with Roy in skill, but he's certainly compensated for it with style. Kronheim's riffs and solos in Mardraum were a thing to behold. No Enslaved album before or since has had that level of guitar play.

sticklefifer posted:

I'd love to see Clouds played live as well. Dat prog keyboard intro. :mmmhmm:

Dude, Clouds live was loving great.

Fenrir
Apr 26, 2005

I found my kendo stick, bitch!

Lipstick Apathy
Also, I've heard In Times several more times now, and this is excellent. I feel like if there's any weak point at all it's Thurisaz Dreaming, and ...really, that's far from a "weak point". It's just the not-quite-as-great song in an album full of :wow:

I actually felt the same way about Thoughts Like Hammers on RIITIIR. Enslaved is really weird with this poo poo. Like, Axioma, Eld and Mardraum put the best song right up front. Below The Lights and RIITIIR put them at the end. Isa, Frost and Vertebrae put them in the middle.

And holy loving poo poo Building With Fire is amazing.

Fenrir fucked around with this message at 09:44 on Mar 14, 2015

Fenrir
Apr 26, 2005

I found my kendo stick, bitch!

Lipstick Apathy
Also :siren: mini goon meet if anyone is interested :siren:

I'm gonna be in manhattan all day the 21st and finish off the day with the Enslaved show. If we got some NYC goons in here hit me up. Just to make myself obvious I'll wear a green bay packers baseball hat. I'll also have a colored beard, we just haven't figured out yet what color I'm gonna make it. Leaning toward blue. Hell, just look for a drunk bald guy with a loving weird beard. I'm old and all my hair fell out in my 20s.

e: One Thousand Years of Rain just kicked on. man, this album loving rules.

Fenrir fucked around with this message at 14:26 on Mar 14, 2015

Xenochrist
Sep 11, 2006


Yeah after listening to In Times all week on repeat, I agree, it's pretty great. It's definitely a grower; not that I thought it was bad the first few times but I really fuckin like it now after more listens. I also agree that Thurisaz is the only low point, if any.

Fenrir
Apr 26, 2005

I found my kendo stick, bitch!

Lipstick Apathy
Yeah pretty much the entire second half of the album was growers for me. I'm still kinda ~eh~ on Thurisaz Dreaming although it's not a bad song, but Building With Fire and One Thousand Years of Rain just JUMPED out at me instantly. A couple of listens later and In Times started to come out, and now I'm getting to where Nauthir Bleeding and Daylight are really starting to click.

I feel like this is gonna be another RIITIIR where I had an early favorite (Death In The Eyes of Dawn) then the growers came out and *became* the favorites (Roots of the Mountain, Forsaken) so right now it's definitely Building With Fire but who knows what'll happen.

Fenrir fucked around with this message at 06:47 on Mar 15, 2015

DEAR RICHARD
Feb 5, 2009

IT'S TIME FOR MY TOOLS
In Times was great on my first listen. It's probably going to be great on my 2nd listen.

Fenrir
Apr 26, 2005

I found my kendo stick, bitch!

Lipstick Apathy

DEAR RICHARD posted:

In Times was great on my first listen. It's probably going to be great on my 2nd listen.

Dude, I love it. Granted, I've listened to it about 30 times now, but it was definitely a grower.

Also, anyone going to the manhattan show, just look for a bald guy in some random dumb metal shirt (probably Amon Amarth or Deicide) with a hosed up lookin' beard. I tried to bleach it and it didn't work out very well :razz: Nevermind the hat, I ain't gonna even bother with it.

Probably be with some old people because they are family and wanted to see what a metal show is like. I told them this was a bad idea but they wouldn't listen. Oh well.

Fenrir fucked around with this message at 03:13 on Mar 21, 2015

Fenrir
Apr 26, 2005

I found my kendo stick, bitch!

Lipstick Apathy
Also, does anyone else hear a bit of The Beacon in One Thousand Years Of Rain? I sure as gently caress do... at least, during the more verse/chorus parts.

sticklefifer
Nov 11, 2003

by VideoGames

Fenrir posted:

Also, does anyone else hear a bit of The Beacon in One Thousand Years Of Rain? I sure as gently caress do... at least, during the more verse/chorus parts.

The chant in it kinda reminds me of Havenless, actually.

Kvlt!
May 19, 2012



Fenrir posted:

Yeah pretty much the entire second half of the album was growers for me. I'm still kinda ~eh~ on Thurisaz Dreaming although it's not a bad song, but Building With Fire and One Thousand Years of Rain just JUMPED out at me instantly. A couple of listens later and In Times started to come out, and now I'm getting to where Nauthir Bleeding and Daylight are really starting to click.

I feel like this is gonna be another RIITIIR where I had an early favorite (Death In The Eyes of Dawn) then the growers came out and *became* the favorites (Roots of the Mountain, Forsaken) so right now it's definitely Building With Fire but who knows what'll happen.

Death in the Eyes of Dawn was the first song I had ever heard from Enslaved (and I saw them live without hearing them beforehand) and I was blown away. Then they played their earlier, more traditional black metal stuff and I was pretty shocked at the difference. They're kind of like Behemoth in being one of the earlier "trve kvlt" bands that evolved into a more accessible style (deathened black for Behemoth and progressive-black for Enslaved.)

Fenrir
Apr 26, 2005

I found my kendo stick, bitch!

Lipstick Apathy
Man, what a great show. I'm so glad Enslaved are back to being headlining acts again, because it just means more of the awesome.

Not quite in order, but the setlist was, roughly:

Thurisaz Dreaming
Death In The Eyes Of Dawn
Ruun
Convoys To Nothingness
Building With Fire
Ethica Odini
The Watcher? I think they played that anyway...
In Times
:siren: FENRIS :siren: Never heard this live before and Grutle said they hadn't actually done it live in forever. I wonder if they read this thread or something.
As Fire Swept Clean The Earth
Isa

I may have missed something in there but other than the Watcher I'm sure all those were played and there's one more I feel like I remember but it's just not clicking at all right now. My brain is still a bit scrambled, my ears are still ringing, and drat, that was great.

I was kinda hoping for Ground but considering how awesome that set was, I am not complaining one bit. Ethica Odini is so good live it almost makes the album version seem weak.

Fenrir fucked around with this message at 04:59 on Mar 23, 2015

Terry Grunthouse
Apr 9, 2007

I AM GOING TO EAT YOU LOOK MY TEETH ARE REALLY GOOD EATERS
At Cambridge, the last show of the tour, they ended with Isa, but instead of Isa, they played Pizza and the crew and supporting bands' members brought out pizza for the audience. It was an awesome show.



also, during Fenris:

Terry Grunthouse fucked around with this message at 15:47 on Mar 25, 2015

Fenrir
Apr 26, 2005

I found my kendo stick, bitch!

Lipstick Apathy
Pizza? :laffo:

That is loving amazing.

sticklefifer
Nov 11, 2003

by VideoGames
There better be video of this. I need to hear Grutle screaming "PIIIIIIIIIIII-ZZAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

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Fenrir
Apr 26, 2005

I found my kendo stick, bitch!

Lipstick Apathy
Speaking of funny Enslaved stuff, here's Peter "Ivar" Griffin :lol:

http://nuclearblastuk.tumblr.com/post/115196227437/for-immediate-release-ivar-bj-rnson-enters-the

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