Review by UnhinderedbyTalent for Enslaved - Utgard (2020)
Arguably one of the most developed and expansive acts in metal at this stage of their career, Enslaved have continued their penchant for delivering thought-provoking and intelligent metal into their fifteenth full-length release. Utgard has a real assured sound to it, despite its title suggesting we may have expected otherwise (Utgard in Norse mythology is a landscape full of danger and chaos). Yes it has all the progressive leanings you would expect with time-changes dropping in from out of nowhere and a near constant sense of build throughout the record, but its success is more subtle than that.
There's a freedom to the flow of the songwriting, never better exemplified than on catchy riffing tracks like Sequence , a solid chug with excellent stabs of atmospheric keys and strings to add depth behind the apparent simplicity of the main driving riff. The lead work here flutters in like butterflies at first before becoming a maelstrom of hellish fire that scorches the middle section of the track for a few seconds before a calming ambience seeps into play. It is rare for such an array of ideas and styles to all be so comfortable alongside each other, but they pull it off brilliantly and hold the listeners interest well throughout a varied and memorable experience.
On this record Ivar relinquished most of the work he normally tried to always get through himself and delegated the labour out across the band. The outcome is an album that feels like it has had a high level of involvement. Even in its busiest moments it sounds cohesive and unified, no matter where a track goes to it is obvious that all band members go with it. The clarity of roles within the band has unlocked textures in the Enslaved sound that feel tightly woven together. At the same time they also feel like they are covering new ground and exploring new territory and structures.
Checkout the 80's pop vibe to the opening of Urjoturn that presents a dark, new-romanticism to the ears. As unexpected as it maybe, it works brilliantly structuring a haunting and yet catchy vibe that sits on the shoulder for long after the album is finished. Grutle's blackened vocals combine with cleaner passages that add further to the depth of the track, maintaining the bm threat of years gone by but tempering this perfectly with a musical edge to challenge their presence at the same time.
After nearly two decades Enslaved maintain an innovative edge to their music that shows little sign of abating. Utgard is bound to be a tough listen for some, but anyone who has been following the band's output over the last fifteen years will welcome the continued maturity and progression of their sound here. It isn't boundary-pushing as such, but it is a fresh sounding record which continues to slowly expand the sound of one of metal's longest-serving bands.