Originally written by K. Scott Ross.
Writing a review of an Enslaved album is a difficult task. At best, you’re only giving a first impression, and while that’s true (to an extent, at least) of any review of a newly released album, with some bands that doesn’t matter nearly as much. Your first impression of an Enforcer album is probably going to be pretty accurate for how you enjoy it for the rest of time. Enslaved, on the other hand, is the gold standard for music that grows with repeated exposure. This critic has been listening to Vertebrae for seven years, and only now do I think I can give a fair opinion on it. Still, there are some things to be gained by an “early” look at In Times, so let’s have at it.
The first thing that stands out is the album structure on In Times. The band has delivered up only six tracks here, and the running time is just over fifty-three minutes. Five of the songs fall in the eight minute range, and one of them reaches towards eleven to make up the last few minutes. This is less indulgent than RIITIIR, which was eight songs long and nearly fifteen minutes longer, but not as curt as Ruun, which (also with eight songs) only barely crested forty-five minutes. It’s also worth noting that eight-minute songs are a far cry from the eleven-minute behemoths that the band prefered in the Vikingligr Veldi days. Why are song lengths so important, anyway? They speak directly to the target of the band, and this is what Enslaved looks like at their most focused.
“Thurisaz Dreaming” opens the album with a blast beat and a howl. Wait a minute, a blast beat? Yeah. The last time Enslaved opened an album with a move this aggressive was 1998’s Blodhemn, and even that was after a synth-pad intro track. There’s definitely more of that old spirit at play here than on RIITIIR, so perhaps now is a great time for some of you fans who have dismissed the band’s recent work to come back for another taste. “Building With Fire” has a much more rock n’ roll feel, and is strongly reminiscent of Vertebrae. The song goes through several movements, but never loses the core musical theme, almost fooling you into thinking it isn’t quite so long (a songwriting skill where Enslaved has often taken a backseat to Opeth). The listening experience is akin to wandering around in the natural history museum for a number of hours, utterly fascinated, and suddenly realising that you’ve spent five hours in a single wing and there’s still a near infinite amount of museum left to explore. The entire album has that feeling.
“One Thousand Years of Rain” opens with an eerie musical representation of rainfall. Enslaved hasn’t really attempted this particular kind of playing before, and it sounds eminently black metal, which is ironic, since the band could obviously care less about what is or is not KVLT. The chorus is extremely catchy, with Grutle’s screams intertwining with Herbrand’s sung words. There’s also a whole chanted section in Norwegian (or possibly Old Norse; this critic can’t tell the difference by ear) that sounds uniquely Viking. The band hasn’t sounded this in tune with the ancestors since Below the Lights.
“Nauthir Bleeding” has a very tropical, Giant Squid-ian feeling to it, yet quickly develops into a tremendous, expansive soundscape that sounds quintessentially Enslaved. The title track is the longest on the album, and also calls up that Viking feeling. The starkness of the chord progressions recalls Ruun; the noodling guitar solos echoing in the background draw more from Wish You Were Here. The album closer “Daylight” is a plodding, deliberate song that initially reminds this critic more of twilight than daylight, but more time is needed to unlock that full potential.
But that’s really the key with Enslaved. You need some time to unlock it. To appreciate the syncopations, the chord progressions, the harmonies. To groove to Grutle’s bass, headbang to Cato’s beats, and space out to Arve’s solos. In Times is an album that is absolutely going to reward the time you spend with it.
There is, of course, the perpetual question of “Is this black metal?” There will always be some fans who condemn every new Enslaved album as yet another rendition of Pink Fjord’s Black Side of the Moon (and a few who will praise it for the same reason). But the influence of black metal can surely be heard, just as the influence of death metal can be heard on Blackwater Park. You wouldn’t really compare Opeth to Grave, and you wouldn’t really compare Enslaved to Venom. Bathory would be a much more apt comparison, though, as In Times sounds eminently Viking and pagan.
The only real thing standing in the way of listening to In Times nonstop is overcoming the desire to listen to every other Enslaved album. RIITIIR is more experimental. Blodhemn is more traditional. Maybe this isn’t the Goldilocks position you were looking for. This critic cannot predict your personal reaction to the new album, but I am more than willing to bet that at the end of the year, people will rank In Times higher than they did RIITIIR in 2012. Why? Because RIITIIR came out in October, but In Times is here in March. Don’t waste your year. Start listening immediately.
