Pilot - Enslaved, Runn and whats going on in Metal?

I could be wrong, but the we're living in exciting times in regards to Death and Black Metal. For the most part, the future of the so-called Extreme Metal genre seems a tad uncertain. On Death's side, more bands seem to be shifting into more melodic/prog territory and new, vague genres (that do not do justice to most new metal band) like Metalcore or Nu-Metal seem to be popping up in order to put a label on recent trends.

Most of Black Metals old vanguards are dead (Quorthon, literally) and the sound has generally shifted in other directions. Sure, you can still find some Scandinavian/Norwegian Black Metal bands keeping the faith but for the most part the lo-fi, noisy, nigh-inaudible sound is old news. Immortal's last album, Sons of Northern Darkness, albeit amazing, was a far departure from their earlier, fiery, under produced output. Admittedly while I haven't listened to any of Mayhem's recent material, word is they've gone a more melodic/avant-garde route and I've heard that Emperor has come a long way from their debut, In The Nightside Eclipse, (which apparently, has disappeared from my iPod!). It seems like the Black Metal headlines are being dominated by Symphonic (the term makes me cringe for some reason) and Viking as of late

Anyway, without going too far into this theory of mine, I bought Enslaved's latest work Ruun a few weeks ago. Enslaved is by far one of my favorite bands and if I ever put time and effort into a Top Ten, they'd be somewhere in the mid-range. Although the band themselves claims that they are a Viking Metal band, their approach is much different from that of their peers. Other leaders of the Viking pack like, Finntroll employ a happy-go-lucky, Death-y, Humppa (a form of polka) influence and their more serious cousins, Moonsorrow specialize in grandiose folk-metal.

Despite claims, Enslaved do not even sound like a Viking Metal band. For the most part, the minimum requirement of earning your Viking Metal diploma is through talking about Vikings and folklore while having a strong Black Metal backbone (I'm sure that self-classification into the genre helps as well, as bands such as Immortal or Battlelore while fitting the criteria to some extent, aren't really considered part of the Viking genre). Mixing some European folk or having more intricate or anthemic songs help as well as seen by innovators, Bathory and the above mentioned Viking bands. Although Enslaved are included in the Viking catalogue they have a much different take on the aesthetics. Instead of folky, grandiose or anthemic riffs, they're sound feels much more dry and melodramatic. They're much more concerned with experimental melodies and sonic texture while retaining a Black Metal blue-print.

Ruun, is a great album and a great continuation of what magic Enslaved conjured on Below the Lights and Isa. Mood-wise, Ruun seems a bit more consistent and controlled than their earlier output. While songs like "Essence" test your patience as you wait for Enslaved to get to the point already, "Api-Vat" and "Entroper" are great displays of prog-punk inspired Black Metal. Even saying Enslaved are prog isn't an apt description. Progressive, implies that a band experiments melodically and while Enslaved are obviously classically trained they're equally concerned with noise and a certain amount of aesthetic depth in their work.

Anyway, Ruun is a great listen. You could probably group them more with bands such as Arcturus, but you still won't be able to get a good definition of what this quintet is really about. This album is a great listen because Enslaved really cut out a niche for themselves. They know when to make heavy, complex songs while at the same time can make simple rock-out tunes as well. The great thing is the bands bold penchant for experimentation while at the same time retaining a Black Metal backing. Ruun is complex, arty, relentless but never pretentious and a helluvalotta fun. Highly recommended.