Enslaved - RIITTIIR (2012)

What can be said about this band that has already been able to withstand the test of time as they've been in the black metal scene for so long? As I've written before, Axioma Ethica Odini, the 11th studio album, released in 2010, was a difference from what they have done before, with the risk of being labeled 'not true black metal', but now the Norwegians have proven yet again that they are here and are still here to stay.

RIITTIIR is somewhat more melodic than Axioma Ethica Odini was, but this does not make the album less fantastic. Enslaved released their newest studio album called RIITTIIR in September 2012.

Enslaved originally produced very dark and raw black metal, but the past few years the band has started walking down the path of the more progressive side. The more progressive path has brought forth the albums   Isa, Ruun and Vertebrae, before releasing Axioma Ethica Odini, and also the EP's The Sleeping Gods and Thorn have proven that black metal can blend into the more progressive styles with added ambient-like parts and still sound awesome. This new album is clearly yet another step forward in this same direction.

It yet again combines the awesome deep grunts of Grutle Kjellson with the clean and awesome sound of Herbrand Larsen, to give the listener another awesome experience.

The name RIITTIIR is not just something random, it is a re-shaped version of the word 'Ritual' or 'Rite', as they explain in an interview I found on Darkview.be:

What does ‘Riitiir’, the name of your new album stand for?
Ivar: It is a re-shaped version of the word “Ritual” or “Rite”. It was a natural step for us to deal with the rituals of man at the point we had reached conceptually with our albums – we have dealt with the runes as a mystical language, we have dealt with specific runes and their associated powers, we have dealt with flesh/mind-borders, we have dealt with the philosophy of ethics, and the psychology of moral. The next dark house along the path was the Rituals that we humans utilize to see change through. We wanted to re-shape the word itself in order to make the concept truly universal – it is neither Norwegian, English or anything else – but still it contains the core of the word so that people know what it is about.   


An impression of what the new album sounds like can be found here, with the music video of Thoughts Like Hammers.

                 

Aside of all this wonderful news I've found that Enslaved will be coming to The Netherlands again, on tour for this newest album. They will be in Amstelveen on March 24th, and I'll surely be there to cheer them on :)


Should you be interested to buy this album, you can do so at for example Nuclearblast.de or Large.nl, or any local record store that sells black metal/progressive metal.

My black metal moods... Shining

One of the bands that I’ve listened to since I got familiar with black metal is a band that openly promotes self harm and suicide in every possible way. Hell, they even handed out razor blades at one of their previous concerts. This band is surrounded by strangeness and controversy... Shining is next on my list of topics to discuss.

Okay so this band is a bit different from what I've described here before.... This band incorporates doom metal elements in their music. Their music contains depressive undertones, which include personal and suicide-themed lyrics. It also shows during the performances and in the last - uncensored - video of Shining where Kvarforth likes to mutilate himself while he's performing. The lyrics are often in Swedish, which gives an eerie feel to the tracks.

I got to know this band through the albums Klagopsalmer and Halmstad and also familiarized myself with the older releases. My all time favorite Shining tracks are Ohm (Sommar Mit Siv), Neka Morgondagen, Fullständigt Jävla Död Inuti, Krossade Drömmar Och Brutna Löften (which is an instrumental track), Attiosextusenfyrahundra (which was derived from Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata),The Eerie Cold, Plågoande O'Helga Plågoande.

Then it was time for Shining to record new stuff.... In the meantime I saw Shining perform live in De Kade in Zaandam in March, and I was impressed. Kvarforth didn't do incredibly weird stuff on stage, even though he did put out some cigarettes on his bare chest every now and then. What can I say, the guy is into pain... Whatever his drive is, the music in my opinion is awesome.

Quote from Wiki :

"Musically, Shining went from more or less straight black metal with doom influences on their earlier work to a more progressive extreme metal sound with extensive use of clean guitars, guitar solos, different vocal styles and often tempo shifts and odd time signatures. Some webzines called them the "Opeth of black metal". "

The new album Född Förlorare was released around a month ago, and it's a bit different from the previous releases. Sometimes there's a poppy tone to Född Förlorare, but the message is clear nonetheless. It's again full of darkness and despair.

Whatever it was that drew me to Shining in the first place is still there: the insane singer, the great guitar solo's, the darkness and despair in the lyrics ... It's one of their best albums in my opinion... And whenever they come 'round to The Netherlands again, I will surely go see them again !

My black metal moods... Enslaved

Before introducing you to this band - which is one of my black metal favorites - let me quickly tell you that I've only been familiarized with the black metal genre for 8 months now and therefore I am still discovering things with each passing day...

Within black metal there's a lot of diversity in styles. For instance...

Take a black metal/progressive metal band, which has come into existence 20 years ago, with an excellent live performance, continuously changing styles, evolving and experimenting with each new release. This is Enslaved for ya.

I got acquainted with Enslaved through the 2010 album Axioma Ethica Odini which really blew my mind. I loved all the tracks of this album right away. Now black metal fans will tell you that this Enslaved album is not 'true' black metal, but it doesn't sound less spectacular because of that. On the contrary.

I then set my sights on finding the other albums, and listened to them. Out of the older tracks a few stand out and are just simply unforgettable. And I don't mean that song. Among those unforgettable Enslaved tracks are Wotan, As Fire Swept Clean The Earth, Slaget I Skogen Brotenfor, Path To Vanir, The Watcher, which are my favorites. There are some albums and EP's that I haven't heard yet, which I am still curious about.

I've seen this band live in April and they truly rocked. The setlist was mostly of the Axioma Ethica Odini album, with some older work, and it just sounded amazing.

As I am telling you about this great, diverse band I am checking out the newest Enslaved EP called The Sleeping Gods which could be downloaded for free through the website of Scion A/V. The Enslaved style has yet again undergone changes and it sounds very different in some parts, in other parts there's recognizable sounds.

The conclusion: Enslaved might be different than the 'true' black metal, the band's been around for 20 years which stands for quite a lot. Their newest EP rocks (even though it takes some getting used to). Enslaved truly rocks !

My black metal moods... Negură Bunget

This is black metal from Romania... I've seen them live as support act for Enslaved in April and I must say they were amazing. They performed with very little space on stage but managed to sound exactly as on the album. I'm talking about Negură Bunget.
The name of the band, which stands for "Dark Foggy Forest", kind of hints the topic of the lyrics. The drummer once said in a 2004 interview:

"Negură Bunget is a black fog coming from a deep dark dense forest. The name tries to picture somehow the kind of atmosphere, both musical and spiritual we'd want to create through our music. It has also an esoteric nature, standing for the inexpressible parts of our ideology. The two words are also from the Tracic substrate of the Romanian language (the oldest one, containing about 90 words) as the interest for our local history and spirituality is something of crucial importance and meaning for us as a band."

I've only listened to the Vîrstele Pamîntului album and I must say that it really struck a nerve that made me want to listen to more of this interesting band. For 'true' black metal fans it might be a bit awkward to listen to, but I consider my metal taste to be limitless and I like to tackle new stuff all the time. What you find in this album instrument wise are pipes, traditional percussion, guitars, some psychedelic elements. At one point even Indian sounds, a flute and even horns come into play in this intrinsic music. The whole album is folk parts giving way to black metal and blending together superbly.

My favorite songs on this album are by far Pãmînt and Dacia Hiperboreanã. The rest of the album lingers in the same mindset and carries you deep into the Romanian forests.

I share the same verdict to this album as posted on the review on Encyclopaedia Metallum:

"This is a great album, and Negură Bunget has sold me on their album-oriented approach to folk black metal."

I'm very much looking forward to hearing other Negură Bunget stuff!

My black metal moods... Alghazanth

A couple of months ago, it was February I believe, I was introduced to Alghazanth by an acquaintance of mine, one of the many black metal bands I listen to nowadays. Now when I listen to black metal, I don't consider myself known with all the technical terms like blast beats and such, I just like it if it gives me a certain feeling, inspiration for things I write. A certain form of darkness to engulf one's self in, if you will. Vinum Intus (which should mean something like Wine Within) does this for me. Typical for this black metal genre is that in my opinion it oozes desperation and suffering. This album is none different.

This album is filled with melodic black, sometimes it's accompanied by choirs and melodies and acoustic and piano parts. My favorite track of this album by far is "For Thirteen Moons". The rest of the album really makes this band interesting for me, and I will certainly check out more of their music. If you're looking for interesting black to listen to, I surely recommend this album.

A n ice cover image description on Encyclopaedia Metallum:

"Unsung Finnish black metal veterans Alghazanth have once again gone with a simplistic black/white cover image, long on metaphor, to adorn their 6th full-length Vinum Intus. It's quite striking really, from the single tree on the horizon to the turbulent well of souls, sewn out heart and beckoning grasp of the kneeling woman. It is on this image that my gaze lingered as I sought my way through the audio content..."

And about the album, in the same review:

"Vinum Intus (which I translate to something like the 'Wine Within'), is a 'pretty' album, glistening with sorrows and regrets against the overbearing rasp of front man Mikko Kotamäki, and if you give yourself able chance to lose yourself to its charms, then it's not a terrible way to spend a winter afternoon. "