Search - Enslaved :: Mardraum

The BEST balance of Enslaved.

Destructhor | João Pessoa, Brazil. | 01/07/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Hmmm at first this cd could be a strange one 'cause it has some experimental elements but with time you'll realize that it doesn'e affect the music anyway, it's still Enslaved with great clean vocals and lots of HEAVY guitar riffs. some werdness at times mas overall it's just genious brutallity, Enslaved has done the work pretty much well this time, it's not all that viking as ELD and FROST but it's stil has the feeling of it, great lirycs and everything.If you enjoy extreme viking metal you should try the band VIKING CROWN , another great and VERY brutal ''viking'' act."

Nightmare Metal

J. Holmes | yokohama, japan | 10/09/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Enslaved's musical output never has failed to excite me. their first album Frost, was a great slab of blasting cold metal with a cool raw feel to it. Eld followed it up with an epic force that set the stage for the onslaught of the third record: the violent Blodhemn. now, with Mardraum -Beyond The Within-, the next stage has begun.



the term "Viking Metal" has been long tagged with Enslaved; and for good reason. they seemed to wear that label proudly; listing it boldy on the inside cover of their first album, and going so far as to don the actual Viking garb in their photos and stage show. imagine how that must have been playing music this fast and technically demanding while wearing a steel mesh body suit and an iron helmet! and what's so amazing about it, is that it's not just art for art's sake, but for the real historical value and cultural signifigance. that's one of the things that makes this band so alluring and fascinating to me...besides the fact that there music is undoubtably some of the finest and most challenging metal being made by any band these days.



Mardraum signals the beginning of some changes in the Enslaved sound. some kind of strange mystical force is brewing in these songs. where as before, the emphasis was on historical battles in the physical world, this record seems to turn it's focus a bit more on the magickal struggle. it's still every bit as fast and violent as their previous blood-soaked set of anthems, but this time around, Enslaved has prepared some new twists to their musical formula.



the opening song "Larger Than Time - Heavier Than Night" (what a great song title!) begins with the spacey psychadelic sounds of guitar heavily echoed with reverb and delay and then the drums enter in, launching a hyper speed blast of brutal riffs and kinetic energy. the pace slows down to a crawl as the vocals eerily drift in over the lumbering pace. it's a bit like a black metal version of Pink Floyd. it's overall effect is both chilling and exhilerating.



the album continues down these lines, but more brutal and overall, the speed factor is kept at a breakneck pace. barely taking a breath, the band seems to be full of life and the solid riffs just keep coming. their seems to be a more loose mood to these recording sessions than in the past. some of the rhythms have more of a groove and i can hear alot more 70's rock influence buried under all the distortion and growling. there seems to be a bit more guitar solos on this album, too. which is a good thing! it gives this album a more rocking approach. but amongst all the thrashing and headbanging, there's plenty of space devoted to weird spacey passages, such as the beginning to the third song "Entrance - Escape," which evokes a feverish nightmare of paranoid visions and an indeniable presence.



Mardraum -Beyond The Within- is a proud moment for Enslaved and probably stands as their most refined and solid album they have ever made. things will get stranger and more abstract on their recordings after this record; and the steps to their progression can be seen on this album. Mardraum is another Enslaved masterpiece!"