E | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | 13 October 2017 | |||
Recorded | April & May 2017 | |||
Studio | Duper & Solslottet Studios, Earshot & Conclave Studios, Peersonal Sound, Fascination Street Studios | |||
Genre | Progressive black metal | |||
Length | 49:45 (standard version) 62:08 (with bonus tracks) | |||
Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
Producer | Grutle Kjellson, Ivar Bjørnson, Iver Sandøy | |||
Enslaved chronology | ||||
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E is the fourteenth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on October 13, 2017 by Nuclear Blast. [1]
This is the first album recorded without longtime keyboardist and vocalist Herbrand Larsen since 2004, who left the band in late 2016 and was replaced by Håkon Vinje in 2017. This would also be the last album with Cato Bekkevold on drums before he quit in 2018.
It was given Norway's 2017 Spellemann Award for best metal album of the year. [2] [3]
The title of the album represents the initial letter of the band name but written with the runic character ehwaz (similar to 'M') on a minimalist and dark wooden cover art, created by designer and painter Truls Espedal. The concept of the symbol (which means 'horse'), is treated in a certain way in "Sacred Horse".
Enslaved songwriter and guitarist Ivar Bjørnson said:
[...] They (the Vikings) used an alphabet, the runes, twenty-four different symbols that were used both for writing, normal stuff like'this guy owns this few cows' and stuff, and then it was also used for esoteric works, or magic, as it were, in popular history. I guess behind each of those runes there was a meaning, and this particular one means ‘horse’, in mythology the most famous horse is Sleipnir, Odin’s own horse, the one with the eight legs. So, of course, it has a deeper meaning, like person and horse, it symbolises the whole concept of relationships and positive dependency. [...] [4]
The album maintains a musical style quite similar to its predecessor In Times (2015), although perhaps a little more melodic and atmospheric, following the base of progressive metal traditional.
The lyrical themes revolve around Norse mythology, vikings, and especially, around nature and ancient Nordic spirituality.
Bjørnson explains:
Everything we do and create are imitations of nature; as we evolved from nature, that is how it must be — yet modern man thinks he and she is independent of nature, that we somehow are so superior that we do not have to take nature into consideration other than as a backdrop for shitty movies. Or festivals. Losing touch with nature is basically to lose touch with being human. [5]
E was composed and written from April 2016 to March 2017. Subsequently, Iver Sandøy was hired again as the record producer.
It was recorded at Duper & Solslottet Studios, Conclave & Earshot, Peersonal Sound in Bergen between April – May 2017 and was mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden in June 2017.
As usual in all Enslaved albums, E was once again written by the duo composer of guitarist Ivar Bjørnson (credited with his real name Ivar Peersen) and singer and bassist Grutle Kjellson, and also marks the introduction of their new keyboard master and clean vocalist Håkon Vinje of Seven Impale, a close collaborator of Bjørnson and Einar Selvik in their parallel musical project, called Skuggsjá.
The special edition of the album includes two bonus tracks (something unusual in Enslaved studio albums) recorded simultaneously but with no relation to the style of the rest: a black-doom song composed in Norwegian titled "Djupet" and a cover of the 2005 Röyksopp hit "What Else Is There?", performed mostly by Vinje.
Enslaved made music videos for the singles "Storm Son" and "The River's Mouth", both directed by Josh Graham, who previously worked with Soundgarden and Neurosis among others.
All music is composed by Ivar Peersen, except for track 8
No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Storm Son" | Kjetil Grutle / Ivar Peersen | 10:54 |
2. | "The River's Mouth" | Peersen | 5:12 |
3. | "Sacred Horse" | Grutle / Peersen | 8:12 |
4. | "Axis of the Worlds" | Grutle | 7:49 |
5. | "Feathers of Eolh" | Grutle | 8:06 |
6. | "Hiindsiight" | Peersen | 9:32 |
Total length: | 49:45 |
No. | Title | Lyrics | Length |
---|---|---|---|
7. | "Djupet" (Deep) | Peersen | 7:39 |
8. | "What Else Is There?" (Röyksopp cover) | Karin Dreijer / Röyksopp | 4:44 |
Total length: | 12:23 |
Chart (2017) | Peak position |
---|---|
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [6] | 190 |
French Albums (SNEP) [7] | 155 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [8] | 80 |
Norwegian Albums (VG-lista) [9] | 12 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [10] | 55 |
Enslaved is a Norwegian extreme metal band formed by Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson in Haugesund in 1991. They are currently based in Bergen. The band's lineup has changed many times over the years, and Bjørnson and Kjellson have been the sole constant members. The current lineup also includes lead guitarist Arve Isdal, keyboardist/singer Håkon Vinje, and drummer Iver Sandøy.
Vikingligr Veldi is the debut studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released in 1994, through Deathlike Silence Productions, the record label run by Euronymous, who was murdered before the album's release. The album is dedicated to him.
Frost is the second studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released in 1994, through Osmose Productions.
Eld is the third studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on 17 March 1997, through Osmose Productions.
Blodhemn is the fourth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on 28 October 1998, through Osmose Productions.
Monumension is the sixth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on 19 November 2001, through Osmose Productions. It is Enslaved's first album to feature lyrics sung entirely in English, although some versions of the album include the Old Norse track "Sigmundskvadet" as a bonus.
Below the Lights is the seventh studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on 5 May 2003. Beyond it being their last full-length for production company Osmose, a few lineup changes would take place. This would be the last album Enslaved recorded with Dirge Rep on drums, and the first album featuring Arve Isdal as lead guitarist. They would also enlist a full-time keyboardist in Herbrand Larsen, bringing the band personnel from four to five.
Isa is the eighth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on 20 October 2004 in Norway and 8 November 2004 in Europe by Tabu Recordings and on 7 February 2005 in the US by Candlelight Records. Several tracks segue continuously into one another and the majority of compositions are composed of multiple interlocking movements.
Ruun is the ninth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on 2 May 2006 in the US, 8 May 2006 in Norway and 22 May 2006 in Europe. It was given Norway's 2006 Spellemann award for best achievement in the "metal" genre.
Kjetil Tvedte Grutle, better known as Grutle Kjellson, is a Norwegian musician, best known as the bassist and vocalist of the Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. Kjellson and guitarist Ivar Bjørnson are the founding and only constant members of the band, as well as the main songwriters. He has released sixteen studio albums with Enslaved and won five Norwegian Spellemann Awards with the band.
Ivar Skontorp Peersen, best known by his stage name Ivar Bjørnson, is a Norwegian musician and composer. He is a founding member and the main songwriter of the extreme metal band Enslaved, and has previously been a member of the metal band Borknagar and collaborated with Einar Selvik on several albums. Bjørnson has released sixteen studio albums with Enslaved and won five Norwegian Spellemann Awards with the band.
Vertebrae is the tenth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on 29 September 2008 by Indie Recordings in Europe and on 28 October 2008 by Nuclear Blast in the US, Enslaved's first album on both labels. It was named as Album of the Year by Terrorizer and was awarded the Norwegian "Spellemannprisen" for best metal album. The album sold approximately 1,100 copies in its first week in the United States, reaching number 49 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart.
Arve Isdal, also known as Ice Dale, is a Norwegian musician and producer, best known as lead guitarist for the extreme metal band Enslaved and the hard rock band Audrey Horne. He owns and runs Conclave & Earshot Studio in Bergen together with former-Enslaved band member Herbrand Larsen. In addition to working as a musician and producer, Isdal also teaches music production at Noroff.
Axioma Ethica Odini is the eleventh studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on September 27, 2010, via Indie Recordings in Europe and on September 28, 2010, via Nuclear Blast in North America. The cover artwork was created by Norwegian painter Truls Espedal who has created all of the band's artwork since 2001's Monumension. The album received very positive reviews from music critics, and sold around 1,400 copies in the United States its first week of release, landing at position no. 16 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart.
RIITIIR, occasionally typeset as "RIITIIЯ," is the twelfth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on September 28, 2012 in Europe and on October 9, 2012 in North America. The name RIITIIR is Ivar Bjørnson's "Norse-ified" take on the words "Rites/Rituals", or "The Rites of Man", and rituals form the central concept of the album. The album received positive reviews from music critics, and sold around 2,300 copies in its first week of release in the United States, which made it their highest debuting album to date in terms of sales.
In Times is the thirteenth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on 6 March 2015 in Europe, 9 March 2015 in the UK and 10 March 2015 in the US by Nuclear Blast. As the title suggests, the album's central theme is that of time, considered philosophically, historically, and mythologically. The album sold about 2,950 copies in its first week of release in the United States, making In Times their highest sales debut to date. The album charted in some territories in its first week of release, including Norway and Finland. It is also the band's last album with keyboardist/vocalist Herbrand Larsen, who departed the following year.
Utgard is the fifteenth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved, released 2 October 2020 by Nuclear Blast.
Heimdal is the sixteenth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved, released 3 March 2023 by Nuclear Blast.
Caravans to the Outer Worlds is the fourth EP by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved, released 1 October 2021 by Nuclear Blast.
Herbrand Larsen is a Norwegian musician, record producer, mixer and engineer. He is best known for being a member of extreme metal band Enslaved from 2004 to 2016, and hard rock band Audrey Horne from 2002 to 2007. Larsen works primarily with acts in the metal and rock genres, including Immortal, Gorgoroth, Taake, Demonaz, Abbath and Gaahl, but has also collaborated with artists in the folk, ambient and pop genres, such as Wardruna, Lindy-Fay Hella, Michelle Ullestad and Hjerteslag.