Metal Reviews

Has leaked... go download/order.

Anyone heard?

Yes, i love it. They seemed to have really matured music wise. I am not a big enslaved fan but this album i really like. They really seem to embrace the psychedelic and proggy aspects of their music on this one and i would not be surprised if they went further into this style on the next album, further shedding their blackmetal skin so to speak. Highlights for me are Cloud, Ground, Vertebrae, Reflection and New Dawn, but the whole album is great i think.

I've really enjoyed this one. Other Enslaved albums are good too but I like this one the best.

do you guys consider it black metal anymore? I mean, its more proggy and experimental than Ruun.

Progressive BM maybe?

There's really little bm here left. I'd say progressive extreme metal.

my thoughts exactly... still pretty awesome..Is it just me or has their sound become more stripped down?

They honestly get better with each new release. Isa was great, then Ruun was better, and now Vertebrae is even better than that! Wonderful band, one of my favourites.

I think there's still enough BM left in their sound to link them to that scene, although they've been moving away from pure BM for most of their careers, prog influences virtually from the start. Progressive Post-Black, or something. Awesome, whatever you call it.

The harsh vocals seem out of place or were produced oddly or something.

i agree. its still quite good but it feels like their albums have slowly been getting more and more stipped since below the lights, which imo was when they took a pretty drastic turn away from their black metal roots and more towards 70s influenced progish extreme metal.

any enslaved is going to be awesome but i have to say that this new album is probably my least fav of all their cds except for maybe ruun. as much as i loved below the lights and after, i still miss their black metal days but this new album feels very smiple compared to their previous works. also the harsh vocals sound downright odd on a couple of parts on a few songs as someone else pointed out.