EP Review: ENSLAVED, Caravans to the Outer Worlds

by Nikita Alekseyevich Khrenov Enslaved has never released a bad album, that’s it. No matter what this band does musically, whether it’s dripping in 70s prog or coated in a frostbitten Norwegian sheen, their output always exudes quality. It’s astounding that a band that’s been around for 30 years has been able to be so… Continue reading EP Review: ENSLAVED, Caravans to the Outer Worlds

Album Review: Utgard by Enslaved (Nuclear Blast, Oct. 2nd)

The term progressive is tossed around the metal world often, an adjective readily applied to bands across the myriad of sub-genres.  Throw “progressive” in front of any standard description and it instantly adds a level of technicality and arrangement not found in the genre as a whole.  Taking it a step further, bands that operate… Continue reading Album Review: Utgard by Enslaved (Nuclear Blast, Oct. 2nd)

Bair Grills… The Sleeping Gods — Thorn by Enslaved

I’ve been listening to heavy metal music since childhood. That might seem like an exaggeration, but without a doubt I was headbanging to the generic thrash riff while the Ultimate Warrior stormed a WWF ring, when the sum of my years still amounted to single digits. In all of the time since, I’ve heard and… Continue reading Bair Grills… The Sleeping Gods — Thorn by Enslaved

Baldwin’s Metal Playlist of 2015

Ghost – “Mummy Dust” This was the most immediately enjoyable track on Meliora. I go into pretty good detail on why it’s such a standout on my album review, so it’s no wonder why it ended up here. It’s a thrash song that loves 1980s power pop and doesn’t shy away from classic symphonic rock… Continue reading Baldwin’s Metal Playlist of 2015

Perfect Timing: A Review of Enslaved’s In Times

Few metal bands have aged as well as Enslaved has. Most groups run out of ideas eventually, or at the very least slow down their output. And after a couple of clunkers from a couple of my favorite metal bands, I was becoming worried that Enslaved was going to come out with a snoozer. How… Continue reading Perfect Timing: A Review of Enslaved’s In Times