ENSLAVED - Eld [Osmose Prod] (CD)

Third album from Enslaved, and probably the album that saw them break into a position of wider acceptance among fans worldwide. Starting directly from where the earlier work 'Frost' left off, 'Eld' ('fire' in Norwegian) sees the band take the direct, no-holds-barred approach of that prior record, combining it with the atmospheric might and majesty of their first album, 'Vikingligr Veldi', to reach new levels of epic songwriting. Approximately one half of this record refers back to their first release rather obviously, and sees Enslaved recapture a little of the 'mystical' sound which they transcended with 'Frost' - the other half looks to the future, where Enslaved streamlined their sound once again and transformed themselves into a true viking metal outfit, all speed, savagery, and amazingly intense lightspeed riffing. This album is often claimed by many fans of the band to be their favorite, and there's a good reason for that: it contains some of their best (and most representative) material. Most of the groups coming out of Scandinavia now who claim to deliver 'true viking metal' really couldn't hold their own against Enslaved, and this album is the reason why.