Monumension

Monumension
Studio album by Enslaved
Released	19 November 2001
Recorded	2001
Genre	Black metal, Viking metal, progressive metal
Length	52:38
Label	Osmose
Producer	Enslaved, Pytten
Enslaved chronology
Mardraum - Beyond the Within (2000) Monumension (2001) Below the Lights (2003)

Monumension is the sixth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on 19 November 2001, through Osmose Productions. ^{[1] [2]} 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.

Monumension was the last Enslaved album to feature guitarist R. Kronheim; Arve Isdal would replace him on Below the Lights .

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ivar Bjørnson, except as noted.

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Convoys to Nothingness"		7:58
2.	"The Voices"		6:07
3.	"Vision: Sphere of the Elements – A Monument Part II"	Roy Kronheim	4:58
4.	"Hollow Inside"	Bjørnson, Trygve Mathiesen	5:38
5.	"The Cromlech Gate"	Grutle Kjellson	6:55
6.	"Enemy I"		5:16
7.	"Smirr"		4:26
8.	"The Sleep: Floating Diversity – A Monument Part III"	Kronheim	8:12
9.	"Outro: Self-Zero"		3:08
Total length:			52:38

Bonus track

No.	Title	Length
10.	"Sigmundskvadet"	6:59
Total length:		59:37

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Chronicles of Chaos	7.5/10 [4]

Monumension has been generally well received.

AllMusic praised the album, calling it "astounding" and "truly daring". ^[3] Chronicles of Chaos's review was generally favorable, though writing, "Monumension occasionally comes across as too over-the-top in terms of its experimentation, and the album as a whole lacks some focus and consistency." ^[4]

Personnel

Enslaved

• Ivar Bjørnson – guitar, synthesizers, organ, piano, special effects, choir vocals on "Sigmundskvadet", production, mixing
• Christian Kronheim – guitar, vocals, special effects, choir vocals on "Sigmundskvadet", production, mixing
• Grutle Kjellson – bass guitar, vocals, choir vocals on "Sigmundskvadet", production, mixing
• Dirge Rep (Per Husebø) – drums, percussion, special effects, choir vocals on "Sigmundskvadet", production, mixing

Additional personnel

• Dennis Reksten – minimoog synthesizers, keyboards, vocoder, special effects
• Trygve Mathiesen – lead vocals on "Hollow Inside" and "Sigmundskvadet"
• Trond Veland – backing vocals on "Vision: Sphere of the Elements – A Monument Part II"
• Kai Lie – additional choir vocals on "Sigmundskvadet"

Production

• Pytten (Eirik Hundvin) – production, recording, engineering
• Davide Bertolini – recording, engineering
• Herbrand Larsen – recording, engineering
• Jørgen Træen – mixing

References

1. "ENSLAVED: nuovo album in arrivo". MetalItalia.com. 24 September 2001. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
2. "Enslaved's website". Enslavedunion.com. Archived from the original on December 5, 2001. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
3. Serba, John. "Monumension – Enslaved : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved 23 September 2012.
4. Azevedo, Pedro (14 January 2002). "CoC : Enslaved – Monumension : Review". Chronicles of Chaos . Retrieved 23 September 2012.