- Country: Norway
- Style: Progressive metal / Black metal
- Label: Nuclear Blast
- Release date: 13 October 2017
Opener “Storm Son” unfolds into one of the best things Enslaved have ever written: a slow, swelling ten-minute piece where Grutle Kjellson’s rasp and Håkon Vinje’s clean, warm voice take turns pulling the song between black metal grit and something closer to seventies prog. Vinje is new behind the keys and microphone here, and he changes the band’s colour more than you’d expect, the organ tones feel older and dirtier, the harmonies brighter.
Ivar Bjørnson has said the title points to the rune Ehwaz, and to symbiosis rather than horses as such, and you can hear that idea in how the record breathes. “The River’s Mouth” is the punchy one, almost catchy, while “Sacred Horse” rides a galloping riff into a gorgeous organ break. Einar Selvik of Wardruna adds his voice, and there’s flute and saxophone from guests Daniel Måge and Kjetil Møster, used sparingly enough that they feel earned.
“Hiindsiight” closes things on a long, stubborn crescendo, and it’s the kind of ending that makes you go straight back to the start. Jens Bogren’s mix gives everything room without sanding off the edges. Not every section lands with the same weight (“Axis of the Worlds” wanders a touch), but as a whole E is a veteran band still finding new rooms in their own house.
Best tracks:
Storm Son
The River’s Mouth
Sacred Horse
Hiindsiight
Author’s rating: 8.7/10
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