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Bacteria13
Hatross Overlord
Joined: 30 Jan 2003
Posts: 2465
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 Posted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 6:02 pm Post subject: ENSLAVED – RUUN |
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Enslaved - RUUN (Candlelight, 2006)
The follow-up to 2004’s Isa album sees Norway’s Enslaved venturing more into the prog-rock category, whilst still shackled to their Black/Viking Metal roots like a rusted chain torn from a dungeon wall. It makes for compelling listening, and in a month where I’ve gotten my hands on new albums by Celtic Frost, our own Voivod and Satyricon RUUN has been playing in my stereo a lot more than I would have thought.
Part of this is, simply, the songs. They are mesmerizing, to say the least, which twist and coil around your skull whilst oozing harmonies and dropping catchy riffs like Stuka bombers in Poland, 1939. Witness the mid-riff to ‘Fusion of Sense and Earth’ – absolutely stunning; this is the stuff Tony Iommi was cranking out back in the ‘70’s. The same song also boasts a Tom G. Warrior Morbid Tales-era guitar solo of plagiaristic proportions.
‘Tides of Chaos’ (the first track of side B, or so it would seem) stomps and gnarls its way through the first half of its 5-minute plus, before this almost space-jam sweeps the track in a completely different direction. ‘Essence’ is a vocal battle between Black Metal screeches and heart-warming harmonies (but not in the metalcore sense) where the darker of the two wins. ‘Path to Vanir’ starts as any Viking-band inspired song out there at a doom-laden pace, complete with organ sounding keyboards, but pauses for thought before suddenly exploding with a gigantic, Tool sounding riff that is simply jaw-dropping.
However, the creme de la creme is the title track itself, the awe-inspiring 'RUUN'. This is a classic track on an album bursting with gems, and something that the band will find difficult to better. If Pink Floyd were to turn Viking I’d dare say this is the material they’d come up – this song soars, folks, taking you on a musical journey the likes of which have not been traveled since Eric the Red jammed with Led Zeppelin. Mere words cannot do this song justice – you simply have to hear this to believe it.
When 2006 comes to a crashing end and I’m looking back at this year’s album releases I can imagine that RUUN will definitely be in my top 5.
Highly recommended.
Bacteria13. 
Fusion of Sense and Earth:
http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?action=download&ufid=781E713643B96CAD |
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