Enslaved
Frost
[Osmose]
As you might have noticed, I am a big Enslaved fan, and in my reviews they
always get the highest marks. While someone may accuse me of being overly
subjective, I believe that this band deserves much more recognition than they
get. Being one of the longest running institutions of Norwegian black metal,
Enslaved, though well known and respected, are not celebrated nearly as much
as their peers such as Emperor, Darkthrone or Immortal, not to mention much
more shallow bands like Satyricon. I find this to be completely unjust
because the band's core - Ivar and Grutle - have always been true to
themselves and their ideals, but have done so quietly, without much pomp,
bombastic rhetorical proclamations or other theatrical means (except for
their Viking fetish, of course) that most black metal bands are so fond of.
Although they've had their share of critique, musically Enslaved have always
been great, at least in my opinion. Perhaps more discreet than their peers,
but no less rewarding. If you consider "Eld," for example, no matter what
arraignments people would throw at it, it is still a great album, which
brings us to the subject of this review.
"Frost" is neither as relentless and polished as "Blodhemn," nor it is as laid back as "Vikingligr Veldi's." I'd say the approach here is closest to "Eld," with lots of time changes and contrasting hyper-fast parts and slower, more epic-oriented segments. As the case was with "Eld," it could be argued that production could use more "meat," but then the music would loose a good amount of the feel that makes Enslaved who they are. Their sound maybe thinner than some people like, but its special attribute is this torrent, penetrating coldness embellished on this album with Ivar's icy riffs and Trym's ferocious drumming. In terms of song writing, "Frost" is less accomplished than "Eld," but not by a very long stretch. Despite the fact that a couple of tracks may be somewhat lagging in places, this work can firmly stand on its own two feet. The band make good use of keyboards and acoustic guitars to superimpose the atmospheric touches. Plus, the folk influence stands out as well, thanks to a track like "Yggdrasil." Lastly, the album's lyrical content makes a fine testament to the Viking culture. OK, so "Frost" is neither a classic nor a perfect album. Nevertheless, it is a very good effort, period.
© 2000 boris
"Frost" is neither as relentless and polished as "Blodhemn," nor it is as laid back as "Vikingligr Veldi's." I'd say the approach here is closest to "Eld," with lots of time changes and contrasting hyper-fast parts and slower, more epic-oriented segments. As the case was with "Eld," it could be argued that production could use more "meat," but then the music would loose a good amount of the feel that makes Enslaved who they are. Their sound maybe thinner than some people like, but its special attribute is this torrent, penetrating coldness embellished on this album with Ivar's icy riffs and Trym's ferocious drumming. In terms of song writing, "Frost" is less accomplished than "Eld," but not by a very long stretch. Despite the fact that a couple of tracks may be somewhat lagging in places, this work can firmly stand on its own two feet. The band make good use of keyboards and acoustic guitars to superimpose the atmospheric touches. Plus, the folk influence stands out as well, thanks to a track like "Yggdrasil." Lastly, the album's lyrical content makes a fine testament to the Viking culture. OK, so "Frost" is neither a classic nor a perfect album. Nevertheless, it is a very good effort, period.
© 2000 boris