ENSLAVED - Heimdal (2xLP)

In the manner of Enslaved, the 16th album from the travellers of Bergen, ‘Heimdal’, is both a departure and a communion with roots forged over three decades ago in the turbulent throes of the Norwegian black metal scene. Founded in 1991 by young Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson, Enslaved was determined to embark on a different path from their satanic peers who burned churches, turning their attention to Viking tradition and writing the majority of the lyrics for their 1994 debut album, ‘Vikingligr Veldi’, in Icelandic for its closeness to Old Norse. The father/son relationship between the characters of Heimdal and Odin reflects the journey that Enslaved has taken over 30 years: the dialogue between the older and younger versions of oneself, and whether they are separate or linked as one. This dialogue between the older and younger individuals is also musically apparent on ‘Heimdal’. As far as the album extends, you will find tributes to the formative influences of Enslaved, from punchy German thrash riffs to the propulsive backbeat of Led Zeppelin. But they are the engine of new and often unexpected pastures.