Enslaved

Enslaved

Vertebrae

[4/5]

Enslaved’s 17-year shift from harsh Viking-metal primitivism into meaty, ’70s-style prog has been one of metal’s greatest evolutionary tales. Though 2001’s Monumension found the Norwegian band exiting their blackened Petri dish to explore the more colorful realms of mid-period Pink Floyd and Genesis (if either group had been fronted by Cookie Monster), it wasn’t until 2003’s slower, more nuanced Below The Lights that Enslaved’s sound truly jelled. Vertebrae wisely expands on this latter-day formula, with Enslaved once again hitting the sweet spot between harsh riffage and soaring textures, hellish growls and richly layered vocal harmonies. As on the equally epic Isa (2004) and Ruun (2006), the album emphasizes mood, pacing and texture over sheer force: Tempos slacken, guitars and keyboards rain minor chords, and the melancholic atmosphere bleeds through the speakers until our headspace is left somewhere between pulverized and comfortably numb. (NUCLEAR BLAST) Aaron Burgess

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