Part I

As we close in on the release of their seventeenth full-length Mið at the end of this month, I am back at it with my definitive Enslaved rankings! At this halfway point we are fully in the realm of what I would consider incredible releases, and they span multiple eras of the their discography. This will center on the most important Enslaved releases to me personally, so there’s a heavy focus on the early-mid 2010s… right around the time they became my favorite band.

In my early years as a metal fan that title seemed to change roughly once a year; I believe the chronological order was Rage Against the Machine, Metallica, Megadeth, Tool, Devin Townsend. Summer 2013 was the final changing of the guard, when it finally clicked for me that Enslaved were my favorite band. I haven’t looked back since… and my reverence for these Norwegian titans of black/prog metal has only grown over the years with all the fantastic experiences involving them in one way or another. I’ve got to meet and chat with at least one or two members basically every one of the now nine times I’ve seen the band, so I’ll recount some of my favorite experiences.

I first got to see them live in February 2014 while they were on tour with Amon Amarth and Skeletonwitch. They had a record store meet-and-greet in L.A. before the show, and (as they remain to this day) all the Enslaved members were very nice to my 19-year-old, starstruck self. Grutle Kjellson recognized me in the lobby of The Wiltern after the show, exclaimed “oh, its you!,” bear-hugged me around the waist and lifted me up in the air. No small task, as I’m 6’3″ and was probably still over 200lbs back then (though much skinnier than today, that’s for sure). The man is quite strong! Fast forward to 2018, I got to hang out with the band in their green room because I was the North American winner of a contest celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2016. Since then, the biggest highlights have been Ivar Bjørnson and Enslaved’s continued involvement in the greatest metal festival in the world, as well as my own delight in both getting to review Heimdal and interview Iver Sandøy in anticipation of that album’s release.

I truly feel honored and privileged to have had all these incredible experiences (and more) with my favorite band in the world. Teenage me could probably never imagine such things could ever become a reality. Since you never know what the future holds (and I’m at that stage of adulthood where you can sorta afford such things) I’ve been making a point to now try and see them every time they come to the US, full tour or not. Last May I made an NYC trip out of their appearance there on the way to Milwaukee Metalfest, I went to Hell’s Heroes for the first time this year to see their Vikingligr veldi set (and the NA debut of Blood Fire Death), and I’ll be seeing them perform VV again at MDF next year. And assuming they also go on a full USA tour for Mið, you bet your ass I’m going to any and all SoCal dates they might offer.

When Ivar and I chatted at Hell’s Heroes this year, he brought up something that has stuck with me ever since. He mentioned how going back to the old days, music was something meant to be experienced with others and in one type of “live” setting or another, whether for pleasure or rite. As wonderful as it is that we can have an entire world worth of music at our fingertips all the time, so much of it is shaped by our methods of recorded music consumption. If you’re able to (financially, of course) don’t miss out on the tangible, sacred experience of seeing your favorite bands live. The music will live forever, but the bands unfortunately won’t. I don’t think Enslaved will be putting on the brakes anytime soon, but there’s no certainties in life.

600+ word intros probably aren’t the best way to keep readers engaged, but I refuse to stop being passionate about Enslaved. Thankfully I’ve covered a number of albums in this second part before, so I’ll try to shorten those a bit and link what I’ve written previously instead. Now, finally, on to the music!

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9. Hordanes Land (1993)

The inclusion of the Hordanes Land EP in a full discography ranking requires little explanation. The shockwave this album sent through the world of Enslaved can still be felt, as “Allfǫðr Oðinn” remains a live staple to this very day. Even “Slaget i skogen bortenfor” has become a not-uncommon addition to their setlists in the past decade or so, going so far as to be one of their featured deep cuts for the “Otherworldly Big Band Experience” held on the Winter Solstice in 2021. Despite all being teenagers, Hordanes Land saw Ivar, Grutle, and Trym Torson truly begin to hone their craft as musicians and carry the torch of Bathory’s epic ’88-’91 material into lands more in line with what else was coming out of Norway at the time.

Atmospheric without being overly repetitious, the perfect amount of raw and primitive without being alienating, it’s no wonder that this release caught the ear of one Øystein Aarseth who promptly signed them to his label Deathlike Silence Productions (nothing of note surely happened after that). The cheap but effective keyboards, the warm bass on “Balfǫr“; so many elements beyond Ivar’s lifelong penchant for great riffs and engaging songwriting came together on this very early release. Hordanes Land has truly stood the test of time, and made it clear from the beginning that Enslaved were destined for greatness. [Favorite tracks: All of them]

30th Anniversary Retrospective

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8. Heimdal (2023)

Perhaps even more heretical than my Monumension ranking is putting such a recent release so high. But on top of being one of their strongest thematic offerings to date and possessing at least one truly all-timer track with “Congelia“, Heimdal ranks this high simply because of how personally important it is to me. I had only been a part of the Nine Circles crew for a couple months before receiving the promo — something that was merely a dream upon joining — and not only that, but I got to co-host an interview with Iver Sandøy.

A memory I will cherish forever is when I brought up the obvious (to me, at least) connection between “Intermezzo II – The Navigator” from the Caravans to the Outer Worlds EP and “Heimdal“. Iver told me that Grutle had expressed frustration over no interviewers thus far bringing up that link, which serves as cold hard proof of my dedication to this band. Steve Von Till’s spoken word during that track’s interlude at Fire in the Mountains this year was nothing short of monumental, further cementing the immense power of this album in my mind. [Favorite tracks: “Congelia” | “Kingdom” | “Heimdal”]

My review and interview with Iver Sandøy

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7. Isa (2004)

Isa was my first introduction to Enslaved circa 2009, thanks to some extreme prog snob older friends of mine in high school. They regarded this album as not just peak Enslaved, but one of the best prog metal albums of all time. This album up through Vertebrae were my initial exposures to the band, yet being Opeth-obsessed at the time I merely regarded them as the lesser, black metal-cousin of the Swedish legends. And when it came to my early black metal days, I was far too interested in Burzum, Darkthrone, Immortal, and Mayhem to give Enslaved a lot of deserved attention. Of course it did eventually click, and what the band cooked up here was a fantastic album.

In many ways Isa served as the blueprint for the riff trajectory they would follow all the way up through Axioma Ethica Odini. Heavy on big walls of chords and quite a bit of syncopation… albeit in a much more icy, discordant fashion than its successors. Isa is cold in a methodical, mechanical fashion in stark contrast to the classic viking frostiness of well, Frost. This album would mark Enslaved’s final production job with Norwegian legend Pytten, as well as the debut of longtime members Herbrand Larsen and Cato Bekkevold; beginning the coalescence of an Enslaved lineup that would yield a few of my all-time favorites. A seamless journey through jagged riffs and progressive soundscapes, and still one of my favorites over 15 years later. [Favorite tracks: “Isa” | “Return to Yggdrasil” | “Neogenesis“]

20th Anniversary Retrospective

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6. In Times (2015)

Being the first new album after the realization that Enslaved had become my favorite band, it’s safe to say I was extremely hyped for the release of In Times. Unfortunately I feel like Nuclear Blast sorta botched the promotion, thinking it was a good idea to put out abridged singles of “Thurisaz Dreaming” and “One Thousand Years of Rain“; while I can understand the reasoning given the average song length of almost nine minutes, intentionally releasing incomplete versions is still a pretty bone-headed move. In spite of this fact I felt like In Times was a monumental success at the time of release; for quite a long time afterwards it was my #3 Enslaved album.

Getting to see the band not once but twice that year — the only time I had such an experience until this year — certainly aided in my love for it. The first go-around was a headline tour immediately after the album’s release with opener YOB (I was shamefully not into them, or for that matter any doom at the time), followed by Enslaved’s odd inclusion as second billing for a Between the Buried and Me tour at the end of the year. Despite their relative straightforwardness in comparison to the headliners (and fellow tourmates Intronaut and Native Construct), they easily won over the crowd thanks to their incredible energy and stage presence.

A tremendous mixture of darkness and light (beautifully captured by Truls Espedal’s album cover), soft and heavy, In Times captured some of Enslaved’s most furious material since the early aughts in addition to their most tender. “Thurisaz Dreaming” is an absolute roller-coaster of an opener, gliding effortlessly from infernal blast beats to the hypnotic, repetitious bass line and Herbrand Larsen’s glorious vocals that characterize most of the track. “Building with Fire” is so goddamn fun, and has become one of my all-time favorite Enslaved songs… I desperately hope it returns to their setlist someday. And who can forget the Einar Selvik-feature, folk-tinged viking epic that is “One Thousand Years of Rain”. “Nauthir Bleeding” and the title track can be slightly awkward at certain moments, but proved the band were still capable of forging engaging prog epics at this stage in their career. And last but not least there’s “Daylight“, what would ultimately become the beautiful, bittersweet goodbye from Herbrand Larsen to his time in Enslaved (recent deep dive here). While perhaps a bit overshadowed by a lot of what came before, In Times remains an Enslaved album for all times in my book.

[Favorite tracks: “Building with Fire” | “One Thousand Years of Rain” | “Daylight”]

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5. Frost (1994)

While the notion that “only early Enslaved is good” might be frustrating, it’s undeniable that Frost and Vikingligr veldi are among the best material they’ve ever released. And though they might be overshadowed by De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, A Blaze in the Northern Sky, In the Nightside Eclipse, and others, in my book they rank as two of the best albums the Norwegian second wave ever produced. Similar to Enslaved’s evolution between Below the Lights and Isa, Frost is suitably colder than its more brooding and atmospheric predecessor. Ivar’s riffs and chord choices can be pretty off-kilter for the time; often discordant, with jagged, trebly peaks and leads towering over the low end. A healthy mix of furious blastfests and slower-paced ritualism, Frost was both a culmination of all that had come before and an easement into new, folkish waters.

Eschewing the satanic topics embraced by many others in the scene for Norse mythology and pagan mysticism, these themes find their way into the music through the frequent use of layered acoustic guitars, ethereal “viking cleans”, and the band’s first foray into folk territory with “Yggdrasil“. The band would notoriously have the term “viking metal” on the inside sleeve, as a means of differentiating themselves from the true “black metal” bands preoccupied with the aforementioned satanism and darkness… much to their chagrin, it would later become an oft-misused genre term. An album as icy cold as it is dynamic, Frost would be the last great peak of their ’90s material. [Favorite tracks: “Fenris” | “Svarte vidder” | “Isöders dronning“]

30th Anniversary Retrospective

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4. Vikingligr veldi (1994)

Choosing between Vikingligr veldi and Frost is like picking a favorite child. I love them both equally… but at the end of the day this album just edges out its successor. Vikingligr is more hypnotic, repetitive, and atmospheric; for a band long-since focused on riffs and dynamic song structures, the former traits make this a truly special release within the massive Enslaved catalog. Tracks like “Vetrarnótt” shamelessly repeat riffs for minutes on end, while layered acoustic guitars, keyboards and other electronic effects give the album its trademark quality of pagan mysticism. That such high-quality black metal was coming from a trio of teenagers is a testament to not just their own intuition, but the willingness of legendary producer Pytten to let them follow such instinct.

Originally due for release in ’93 were it not for the death of Euronymous, it was clear that he had incredible foresight in signing the very young trio to his label Deathlike Silence Productions. Ending your first full-length with an 11-minute, slow instrumental has to be one of the more ambitious moves made by a band from ’90s Norway; it showcases how Enslaved were ready and willing to push the envelope early on. So far this is the only Enslaved album I’ve had the honor of experiencing in full live (twice by the end of Maryland Deathfest next May). With the level of musicianship the current lineup possesses and the manner with which their overall sound revitalizes the work of their early period, it’s pretty inspiring to have witnessed such full-circle moments firsthand. [Favorite tracks: “Vetrarnótt” | “Miðgarðs eldar” | “Norvegr“]

30th Anniversary Retrospective

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3. Below the Lights (2003)

For those who hold more than just the early years of Enslaved in high regard, Below the Lights is often considered to be the best of their progressive era… and for damn good reason. Following the experimental (mis?)steps taken on Mardraum and Monumension, it was as if all the stars in the black and prog metal universes aligned to create a masterwork fusion of the two genres. Ivar Bjørnson’s glorious return as sole composer allowed him to truly lock in with Below the Lights, forging an album as much technical and engaging as dark and heavy. Steeped in brooding atmosphere through the heavy use of mellotron and a multitude of other sound effects, Enslaved truly took fans to “A Darker Place“.

The krautrock-inspired repetition of “The Dead Stare” or the saga all its own that is “The Crossing” proved without a doubt that Enslaved were pioneers of progressive black metal, seamlessly incorporating their love of bands like King Crimson, Genesis, Yes, and Rush into a black metal context. And while Below the Lights may perhaps be the crowning achievement of prog influences into their sound, we of course can’t forget how beautifully heavy the album is throughout. The rhythmic exercise that makes up the middle section of fan favorite “Havenless” or the furious blasts of “Ridicule Swarm” were easily their most intense material since Blodhemn. A landmark of progressive black metal and a glorious new standard raised for Enslaved; a release that started what I would deem the longest string of consistently great albums within metal music as a whole. [Favorite tracks: “As Fire Swept Clean the Earth” | “The Dead Stare” | “The Crossing” | “Queen of Night” | “Havenless”]

20th Anniversary Retrospective

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2. RIITIIR (2012)

It’s been a long recollection through a massive discography, but we’ve finally reached what I consider the top pantheon of the Enslaved saga. Riitiir was the album that made me realize they were far more than just “black metal Opeth”, but a wholly unique entity capable of combining everything I love about black and prog metal into a form just as palatable as complex. Like Vikingligr and Frost, I consider these final two albums nearly equal in quality. Riitiir is just slightly behind, but I can give it the top praise of containing my favorite Enslaved song of all time: “Roots of the Mountain“. From blackened blastbeat opening all the way through to triumphant finale, it’s all the might and majesty that the band are capable of unleashing wrapped into a single, multi-faceted epic.

Yet Riitiir offers so much more than this monolithic track. Axioma marked the terminus of a general riffing style Ivar Bjørnson had been developing since Isa, and Riitiir marks the start of a new one in some regards. Chords often present themselves as individual notes played sequentially, revealing themselves over the course of single measures; there’s also a heavier focus on syncopation and rhythmic complexity (opener “Thoughts Like Hammers” showcases these changes right off the bat). Riitiir is Enslaved’s longest album to date, and in conjunction the songs tend to be slower in pace. There’s great care in slowly building up to grand choruses and more intense moments, as in the stellar “Death in the Eyes of Dawn” and its rising and falling actions.

Another standout aspect of Riitiir is in the quality of Herbrand Larsen’s vocals. I’ve always been a fan, but I’ll be the first to admit that he never had the most powerful voice. Yet thanks to the stellar production and manner in which they’re layered, his vocals have a greater impact than ever before. And like In Times and E to follow, the tail end of the album has some ambitious journeys into progressive realms. An album just as hard-hitting today as it was upon release 14 years ago, Riitiir contains not only some of the best songs but one of of the most rewarding album experiences that Enslaved have ever recorded. [Favorite tracks: ” Thoughts Like Hammers” | “Death in the Eyes of Dawn” | “Veilburner” | “Roots of the Mountain” | “Materal“]

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1. Axioma Ethica Odini (2010)

At long last we arrive to the final album in my rankings, the crown jewel of the Enslaved discography. After the relative softness of Vertebrae, you could not fault one for surmising that the band would continue in a less metal, prog rock-focused direction. Instead the band returned with a roar of thunder and “Lightening“, as if the album were forged by the strike of Mjölnir itself. Axioma Ethica Odini serves as the culmination of all that Enslaved had been developing since at least Isa, as mountainous walls of chords clash with Herbrand’s angelic cleans. While often mid-tempo, underlying streams of kick drum ensure a continuous momentum.

Enslaved have long been masters of the album opener, but “Ethica Odini” easily stands above all the rest in this regard; it distills everything about Enslaved both musically (and thematically) into a single track. Epic riffs, vocals alternatively furious and glorious, and the not-so-subtle denouncement of Christianity and the cultural destruction it has wrought. “Giants” and its doom-tinged plodding make for yet another all-timer in my mind, serving as the perfect soundtrack for the Jötnar assaulting Asgard.

Axioma Ethica Odini is the ultimate fusion of the black and prog halves on Enslaved, the best encapsulation of everything they are capable of as musicians and songwriters. It’s long been both my favorite Enslaved album and one of my favorite albums of all time. Perfectly paced as it ebbs and flows between realm-shattering chords and passionate choruses, soft breaks and bombastic solos, Axioma simply has it all. Bridging heaviness, complexity, and catchiness, with closer “Lightening” it concludes just as incredibly as it began… as soon as Grutle’s final scream ends, all I want to do is begin the entire journey all over again. [Favorite tracks: “Ethica Odini” | “Raidho” | “Waruun” | “Giants” | “Lightening”]

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And there you have it, many thousands of words later the Official rankings for my favorite band. Yet as much as I love the top picks, the notion of “best Enslaved album” isn’t one that I can really pin down… they’re very much a band to be taken as a whole, absent a single discography-topping album like how I would think of Emperor or Wolves in the Throne Room. Each and every album — from phenomenal to “less phenomenal” — has something unique to offer.

If you happen to be interested in how the maestro himself ranked Enslaved’s discography (as of early 2018), check out this article from Decibel. Spoiler alert: the “artist considers their most recent material their best” trope applies… yet he and I definitely share some rankings.

Thanks for reading if you’ve stuck around to read to this conclusion; long-winded as this journey through Enslaved’s discography has been, there’s simply no other way for me to go about things. I am forever proud to call them my favorite band, and I can’t wait for what the future holds for them near and long-term. Don’t be afraid to bleed, don’t be afraid to dream.

— Colin

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Mið will be unleashed October 30 through Nuclear Blast. For more information on Enslaved, check out their official website.