Enslaved has been around since the beginning, since black metal emerged from the cold dead heart of Norway, and they're one of the few bands from the original scene still making records. While spinning this album countless times over the course of 2010 I've been trying to figure out why they're still here; what makes them resilient when their brethren have fallen into distant memory. To display my theory I'll have to give a bit of background. Black Metal was started as a form of immature teenage rebellion, albeit more extreme than examples of American suburbia. These young gents lit up churches and killed people for spite, but it was still just teenage insecurity. Back then, the music was mostly the same, blasting insanity with horrible production and literally no effort to enter the mainstream. This initial group of musicians gained fans, gained popularity and became something definable, a musical movement; structure when the original intent was anarchy. I think this realization had a powerful effect on a lot of the musicians involved and caused two reactions: personal struggle, insanity and stagnation, in the case of Varg and Fenriz and an evolutionary leap of creativity in the case of Enslaved and Emperor. Unfortunately, Emperor split in 2001 with Ihsahn preferring to compose under other various monikers. Enslaved on the other hand released Monumension in 2001; the album that ended up disillusioning the Enslaved fan base but also paving the way for truly progressive black metal.
So here we are in 2010 with a band that has been shaping black metal since it began, that has been releasing consistently astounding albums, one after another, for their entire 20 year career. What can I say about the new one? What can I say about Axioma Ethica Odini that hasn't already been said? Probably nothing, but I can tell you with absolute honesty that it is essential listening and that it is a welcome addition to an already unbelievable discography.
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