Artist: Enslaved
Label: The End Records
Release Date: 5/20/03
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Title: Below the Lights Artist: Enslaved Label: The End Records Release Date: 5/20/03 |
Judgment Committee Reviews | Rating |
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Go to Reader Reviews | ||
Abyss's Review:
Damn, this one's frustrating the fuck out of me. Enslaved is one of my favorite bands of all time. I'm talkin' top ten stuff here. I think they are one of the most gifted and visionary groups of guys out there. They make you think while you're banging your brain. They make you ponder while your horns are in the air, and yet they remain vastly underexposed.
"Enslaved remain as awesome as they've ever been, however, I find that this album drifts far too often to be enjoyed to its fullest." Sure, a lot of people know who they are, but I always have trouble understanding why more metalheads haven't embraced this band as saviors of metal. Unfortunately, I don't think Below the Lights is the album that's going to get it done. This album continues on the course of experimentation that Enslaved have utilized in their last few albums, as the record is a tapestry of style and sound. It's pattern that repeats at times and drifts at others, always interesting and never obvious. In this respect, Enslaved remain as awesome as they've ever been, however, I find that this album drifts far too often to be enjoyed to its fullest.
Their new album loses me at times, or confounds me with some of the decisions they make. Some sounds fade in and out, rather than being incorporated or contradictory. The music sometimes wanders (seemingly) aimlessly, and I feel lost because I feel like I'm missing their intention. But every time I think this band has finally let me down, a massive flash of brilliance (which usually is the main theme of the song) punches me in the face, an appropriate punishment for my blasphemous thoughts. You see, this album is so amazing in so many ways that my frustrations, for the most part, are moot. The metal world remains a much stronger place with this album in it.
"But every time I think this band has finally let me down, a massive flash of brilliance punches me in the face, an appropriate punishment for my blasphemous thoughts." It is quite possible that I'm just not fully grasping this album, but with the amount of time I've spent with it, I continue to fear that it's just not that complete of a record. That's not to say that its not worth owning, in fact Enslaved are one of the few bands that I think everyone should own each and every one of their albums, but I still have an empty space inside every time I listen to it. One word review: Turbulent.
Death's Review:
The always creative label The End Records brings us Below the Lights from Norway's Enslaved, a clear progression for the seminal act but one that ultimately lands without as much of an immediate impact as one would have expected from such extreme metal pioneers. The guitars are often soft, and are generally altogether not "crunchy" -- instead the distortion is lessened and given a more organic rock sound. Think the guitar sound on Bush's "Machine Head," the Foo Fighters, Queens of the Stone Age, or Voivod's new album. Still, as with the first major riff/key change in opener "As Fire Swept Clean the Earth," the guitars do rock in that "turn up the gain on the Marshall but don't use a 'metal distortion' pedal kinda way." And for some of the stacatto technical riffing, the dryness of this guitar sound sometimes seems perfect. Anyway, the rest of the music throughout the album can be considered at once dreamy and progressive, with traces of black metal single string guitar patterns overlaid and some more technical metal riffs thrown in here and there for good measure.
"...the music throughout the album can be considered at once dreamy and progressive, with traces of black metal single string guitar patterns overlaid and some more technical metal riffs thrown in here and there for good measure."
Remaining original Enslaved members Ivar P. and Grutle Kjellson teamed up with new lead guitarist Arve Isdal (following the departure of both R. Kronheim (guitars) and Dirge Rep (drums)). The label calls the end result (no pun intended) "progressive black metal" and I think that this is an accurate description. I actually like some of the weird and proggish keyboard sounds played over the classic metal riffing heard on "The Dead Stare" - Voivodish stuff like that is my favorite part of the record. The flute that opens "Queen of the Night" sounds good when juxtaposed with the total Nothingface era Voivod guitar riff that follows (I also like the old school style guitar solos!), culminating in a some Dream Theater worthy off-time riffing and resulting in the album's best track. But many of the songs are meandering and are not catchy. Much of it requires substantial effort and does not make it easy on the listener. The mellow stuff interspersed in the first section of "The Crossing" is well recorded and provides a nice dynamic element, although making clear that this is less extreme than much of the other stuff we cover on this site. And somehow, that feels strange to be saying about Enslaved at this stage of their career. Of course, the song kicks in with some groovier and thrashier parts, but the Opeth style mellowness that precedes it is noticeable. All in all, those who invest the time to get to know the album and who appreciate the evolution of the Enslaved sound and the willingness to experiment will find something to enjoy. Those, however, looking for a more immediate impact, or those who are significantly more interested in the "black" part of the progressive black metal descriptor, will be less interested. I come out differently, somewhere in the middle -- I like the heavy thrashy parts; in a way they are like a thrashier early Opeth or Green Carnation. I could see Enslaved taking the sound further in this direction and finding success with it. But some of the stuff on this record is a bit boring. The experimentation is good, but this sound should be allowed to continue to evolve further in the future.
"But many of the songs are meandering and are not catchy. Much of it requires substantial effort and does not make it easy on the listener."
Hel's Review:
The End Records has once again taken things in hand and provided the United States audience with domestic release of the new Enslaved album. Monumension was rather experimental, and all over the map, but that record has nothing on the disarray that is Below the Lights. I actually forgot, on more than one occasion, what album I was listening to. At one point during, "The Crossing" I was convinced I was listening to Opeth. During, "Havenless" I wondered when I put In Extremo into my player. And so it goes with the entire record.
"Monumension was rather experimental, and all over the map, but that record has nothing on the disarray that is Below the Lights."
"As individual entities, the songs are outstanding - well performed and interesting. But as a whole, well, it just doesn't make any sense." This is the true flaw in the album. There is no cohesiveness, and the overall product lacks coherence as a result. As individual entities, the songs are outstanding - well performed and interesting. But as a whole, well, it just doesn't make any sense. It is confused and disjointed. Which is truly a pity, as this is a great band, and they have the ability to create an amazing album. Unfortunately, they have fallen short of their vision, whatever it may have been.
If you enjoy a broad scope of metal, you will certainly enjoy this eclectic album. I enjoyed it myself, to a point. But at the end of the day, I keep returning to the points that are lacking, instead of being able to focus on the positives. As good as the songs are, they deserve to hold a place in an overall scheme, and this album sorely lacks that. Without a thread of continuity, it is merely a collection of interesting songs.
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