Review: Enslaved – Heimdal

Review by Commodus

Enslaved – Heimdal

Record Label: Nuclear Blast

Year: 2023

Rating: 7.5/10

It has been three years since Enslaved‘s last studio album (Utgard), although they did not stay non-productive; they released the EP Caravans to the Outer Worlds, which pleased their fans with their creativity. But what about their new album, Heimdal?  Would that be satisfactory as well?

I pressed play and Behind the Mirror started kicking, with a riff that reminded me of the era of Erd. Then other instruments followed, which eventually led to a jam with spooky keyboards. Congelia follows with raging drumming at the beginning, followed by Black Metal riffing, reminding me of the early days of Enslaved. At the 2/3 part of the song, an amazing rhythmic part paves the way for vocal lines, full of emotion, making this my favourite song of the album. Then Forest Dweller comes, and I was astonished by how many guitar sounds I could listen to at the same time; acoustic, and electric guitars with rhythms and melodies, followed by Grutle‘s calm voice which carries on a peaceful trip, that eventually leads to a burst with 70s keys and then back again to the calmness.

Enslaved

But this calmness is interrupted by the melodies, progressive drumming and ripping solos of Kingdom, making it one of the album’s best songs. The Eternal Sea starts with mysterious keyboards dancing with Grutle’s melancholic bass, paving the way for strange, but interesting rhythms. But all these are blending, leading the way to straight guitar riffing and then into a storm full of aggression and black metal riffing. The song ends with a calm but mysterious atmosphere that ties perfectly with Caravans to the Outer Worlds, a familiar song from their last EP. The album closes with Heimdal, which also starts with an Erd feeling, accompanied by evil keyboards, giving me the sense that the song will be huge. A solo comes, followed by an atmosphere and then a jamming riff arrives. Then mesmerizing keyboards close the album, giving me the impression that this song could have been a part of Utgard or Caravans to the Outer Worlds.

After the listening session, I could say that this is perhaps the most progressive Enslaved album so far. It is full of sounds, especially with guitar melodies and solos. There are many calm moments and black metal riffing that are constantly fighting, but personally, the winner is the guitar melodies and solos. Heimdal proves that the band is still strong and challenging, making interesting music and pushing its boundaries even further.