A raging storm feeding on epic Norwegian black metal and progressive arrangements!

 

An album full of revelatory moments, spine-tingling dynamics and exquisite but alien atmospheres, »E« showcases a refreshed ENSLAVED line-up via songs that take the band into unprecedented territory. From the grandiose, weather-beaten riff-scapes of 11-minute opener ‘Storm Son’ to the wild, psychedelic frontier squall of ‘Sacred Horse’ and the muscular, sax-powered shoegaze barrage of monstrous closer ‘Hiindsiight’, it is both a typically bold and fearless statement from this most inventive of modern metal bands and a thrilling sideways step that harnesses the spirit of old and sets it loose in a whirlwind of imagination. Conceptually, too, ENSLAVED are making giant forward strides. While past albums frequently focused on notions of individuality and isolation, E offers a transformative fresh perspective.

 

“It’s a noticeably positive record. It deals a lot with gratitude and a constructive take on a lot of things we have written about before,” Ivar explains. “This album is a reaction to a lot of the concepts we’ve had that deal with extreme individualism, all the way back to Isa, it’s all about breaking down the forced chains to the rest of humanity and society and finding your own way. »Isa« and »Axioma Ethica Odini« were particularly about that. This album is a reaction to that: it’s about the pairings and dualities that are so important to the human experience. The partnership between man and nature is also important.”