Deathlike Silence Productions/Voices Of Wonder, 1994.
1. Lifandi Lif Undir Hamri
2. Vetrarnott
3. Midgards Eldar
4. Heimdallr
5. Norvegr (instrumental)
Legendary Norwegian viking metallers Enslaved's first full length album; despite having only five tracks it clocks in at 51 minutes -- you needn't be a rocket scientist to figure out the songs are long. Despite being long, each song has relatively few riffs and rather short lyrics written in ancient Icelandic and Norwegian about vikings, their myths and the majestic north, in a straightforward and quite simplistic manner. At first, I thought the repetition in the songs was on the excessive side, as their riffs generally don't really have the hypnotic effect common to bands such as Darkthrone and Burzum, but after repeated listens, this album has really grown on me and I have come to understand the epic nature of the songs. The songs flow very well, with seamless transitions between riffs into long passages that build up tension only to return to previous riffs with renewed strength and maybe a new synth line in the background. Vocals are used rather sparingly but well-placed; vocalist Grutle Kjellsen has a not too powerful and pretty typical rasp that nevertheless fits the music well. One thing I noticed is that the vocals sound strangely different between tracks: compare "Lifandi Lif Undir Hamri" to "Heimdallr" for example. The production is just fine, all instruments are audible including the bass, there is a little reverb but not too much. There are a few goodies like occasional acoustic guitars and synths. The synths are mixed perfectly and mostly add to the songs rather than take away as tends to be the case with many bands, but Casio-style orch. hits (as in "Heimdallr") MUST GO.
Anyhow, this is definitely one of Enslaved's better albums. A true classic and necessary for anyone with an interest in the mid-90's Norwegian black metal (and related) scene.
