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Class 6(66)

Enslaved: Below the lights

04/01/13  ||  BamaHammer

Introduction

Enslaved is a band that I’ve never truly loved, but just chill out for a second before you start grilling me with “Why the fuck are you reviewing them then, huh?”. This album, however, is one that I hold dear and one that it worthy of some significant praise whether you’re a real fan of the band’s work as a whole or not.

See, Enslaved is one of those bands who tries to be fancy and progressive and flaunt their massive penis of musicianship at ever opportunity, and the result is that some tunes click with me and are immensely enjoyable while other songs leave me scratching my head as they make their way out of my auditory digestive system and into the shitter of forgetfulness. “Below the lights” was honestly the only album the band has ever created that fully captivates me for almost the entire duration.

“Below the lights” felt like the moment in Enslaved’s history when they figured out the right balance between the black metal for which they’re known and loved and progressive touches that are obviously the band’s passion and priority. Regardless of runes and lyrics about medieval Scandinavia, this is can best be described simply as some of the world’s best (as oxymoronic as it sounds) progressive black metal.

Oh, and fuck the term “Viking Metal”.

Songwriting

9. Like I said, Enslaved usually opt for a songwriting method that involves a fair degree of complexity that will either turn out to be catchy and interesting or turn out like a calculus book: complex and impressive, but not very enjoyable. On “BTL”, however, they seemed to have found a groove that for whatever reason was really compatible with my taste. Every track has a unique personality that makes the song come alive to tell its story. “Havenless”, “Queen of Night”, and “As Fire Swept Clean the Earth” are super-duper hits that I always enjoy coming back to. “The Crossing” is probably a track that we could all do without. Overall, though, it’s solid from start to finish.

Production

8,5. The guitar sound on here is pretty identifiable. They’re heavy and distorted, but not overly so. They just possess a fantastic reverb-less crunch that keeps everything very clean. The drums sound natural, for lack of a better word, with very little processing. The kicks in particular sound as if you’re in the room with them and hearing them through your ears alone, which gives the overall sound of the band a very organic feeling.

Guitars

9. Other than anything sung by Grutle Kjellson, the guitar work is this album’s motor. To be an album so associated with being “progressive” or whatever, the riffs are really quite rudimentary in terms of chording and whatnot, but the it’s the rhythms that make these tracks really stand out. The odd time signatures the band is so good at utilizing are disguised by the catchy grooves that the guitars provide. You’ll also hear a fair share of acoustics and clean passages as well. After all, things have to be “prog”, right?

As for the solos, you’d be hard-pressed to find any album in the black metal universe as killer as “Below the lights” in that regard. Ice Dale is a world class lead player, and he proves it on this one. Just check out the leads in “Queen of Night” or “The Dead Stare”. Simply a masterclass.

Vocals

9,5. Grutle Kjellson didn’t make this list, but Devin Townsend sure as fuck did. I will now decapitate myself with a claymore.

Kjellson’s ability to shift seamlessly between a fantastic black-metal growl and stunningly good clean croon is on of the biggest reasons why this album so great. On tracks like “As Fire Swept Clean the Earth” or “Havenless”, the mood is set with the clean vocals while the growls, which are surprisingly understandable, tell the story. Every line is rhythmically catchy as well. You’ll find yourself singing along quite often with the clean stuff and trying to imitate the growls at other times. I’m not a big believer in the power of vocals, but they truly make this album fantabulous.

Bass

7. Grutle handles this as well, though it does disappear into obscurity quite often. Honestly, it’s not a very integral part of what the band is trying to do here anyway. The odd times and riffs make it difficult to add cool bass licks anyway (unless your name is Tony Choy or something). When you know it’s there, it simply does exactly what you expect and nothing more.

Drums

8. Dirge Rep. He’s worked with a band or 5. Maybe you’ve heard his name in passing. This is a typical outing for him. Nothing overly flashy or brilliant, but it’s just solid, groovy black metal drumming that meets the standard. The guy is very good at stuff like this.

Lyrics

9. About 90% in English and a very tasty 10% in Norwegian. I’ve always enjoyed the lyrics on this album because of the way they tell a coherent yet ambiguous and mysterious story. And like I said before, it’s really not so much about the actual words but the voice that speaks them. Growled or sung, everything about the vocals makes the album.

A sample of growled goodness:

I see a darkness overwhelming.
I see that there is no light for me.
I don’t care if it leaves me blind.
I don’t care if I’m left behind.

Simple, poignant and effective. What more could you possibly want from metals ov ze black?

Cover art

7. Pretty deep. I guess. I don’t know. It looks like a scene that’s happening under a pencilled forest somewhere. Strange, shadowy demonic figures have erected an underground basement as a hangout. One of the little jokers even carved “Brooks was here” in runes into the ceiling. Or something. Fuck it. It’s a 6 now.

Logo

2,5. I absolutely love this, but that look was omitted from this cover, and probably for good reason. It wouldn’t have fit very well with the rest of what’s going on. Instead, we get this CAPSLOCK’D serif font that oozes a basic simplicity that I can’t defend in any way. I also honestly feel like omitting all words altogether would’ve been a better option for this cover, but whatever.

Booklet

6. Lyrics. Generic photos. Monochrome. Boom.

Overall and ending rant

I’m not what you’d call an Enslaved fanboy or anything. I’m not going to be wearing an Enslaved t-shirt any time soon, but this is definitely a record that gets some regular spins from time to time. There are just too many really cool tracks and moments on this album to ignore for long periods of time. The truth is that this is an album that appeals to a wide spectrum of tastes. If you’ve never given “Below the lights” a fair chance, I think it deserves one. You’ll hear something good in there. I promise.

8,5

  • Information
  • Released: 2003
  • Label: Osmose
  • Website: www.enslaved.no
  • Band
  • Grutle Kjellson: vocals, bass
  • Ivar Bjørnson: guitars, keyboards
  • Ice Dale: guitars
  • Dirge Rep: drums
  • Tracklist
  • 01. As Fire Swept Clean the Earth
  • 02. The Dead Stare
  • 03. The Crossing
  • 04. Queen of Night
  • 05. Havenless
  • 06. Ridicule Swarm
  • 07. A Darker Place

Class 6(66) -reviews

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