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Content Introduction Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved's 14th album, 'E', is set for release! Completely discarding the concept of "normal," this is the band's most "avant-garde" work to date, featuring odd time signatures, bizarre chord progressions, and unconventional song structures! Enslaved is a Norwegian extreme metal band. Over their long career spanning more than a quarter of a century, they have greatly transformed their musical style into something progressive/avant-garde, but in fact, ideologically they are pioneers of Viking metal, and musically they are pioneers of the symphonic black metal genre. Enslaved was formed in 1991 by Ivar Bj?rnsson (G, Key) and Gr?tre ?elson (Ba, Vo). At that time, Gr?tre was 17 years old, and Ivar was a mere 13 years old. (Incidentally, the drummer at this time was named K. Yonny, who is later known as Trim Thorson. Trim left Enslaved in 1995 to join Emperor.) It was their second demo, "Yggdrasill" (1992), that made Enslaved famous in the underground. With this cassette, they presented a new style of music: symphonic black metal with synthesizers, which was almost unprecedented at the time. It astonished underground metal fans all over the world. But that's not all. While Enslaved's music could be called black metal, their ideology had nothing to do with Satanism. Their theme was Norse mythology, and they sang it in Old Norse. The concept of "Nordic bands singing Norse mythology in their native language," which is now commonplace, especially in the Viking metal scene, was invented by Enslaved. Ivar was only 14 years old at the time. There is probably no one else who has created a work that changed the history of extreme metal at this age, both musically and ideologically. He is undoubtedly a genius. The following year, 1993, the EP "Hordanes Land" was released as a coupling with Emperor's debut EP. This split CD was the first work to widely introduce the musical form of symphonic black metal to the public. Nowadays, synthesizers are one of the standard instruments in extreme metal, but that too is thanks to Enslaved and Emperor. The following year, 1994, his debut album "Vikingligr Veldi" was released on Deathlike Silence Productions, the label of Mayhem guitarist Euronymous. Euronymous had already passed away by the time this album was released. Also in 1994, just six months after the release of his debut album, he released his second album "Frost" on the French label Osmose Productions. Enslaved has always adhered to a symphonic black metal philosophy, but starting with their third album, "Eld," in 1997, they gradually began to lean towards progressive rock. With each subsequent album?their fourth, "Blodhemn," in 1998; their fifth, "Mardraum: Beyond the Within," in 2000; their sixth, "Monumension," in 2001; and their seventh, "Below the Lights," in 2003?their approach to prog became more pronounced, with an increase in clean vocals and the introduction of iconic prog instruments like the Mellotron. After parting ways with their long-time partner, Osmose Productions, and releasing their eighth album, "Isa" (2004), and ninth album, "Ruun" (2006), on Tabu Recordings, they established a unique progressive metal style that could be described as a black metal version of Pink Floyd. Their 10th album, "Vertebrae" (2008), released after signing with Nuclear Blast, one of the biggest names in extreme metal, won the Spellemann Award in their native Norway. Since then, they have consistently released highly original, high-quality works that can only be described as "avant-garde Norwegian metal," including their 11th album "Axioma Ethica Odini" (2010), 12th album "RIITIIR" (2012), and 13th album "In Times" (2015). Their first performance in Japan at Loud Park in 2016 is still fresh in people's memories. And now, their 14th album, "E," is being released. This work is exactly as Gr?tl described it: "They completely abandoned the concept of 'normal' song structure and removed all existing frameworks, boundaries, and rules." Irregular time signatures, strange chord progressions, and unconventional song structures are commonplace. With guitar work reminiscent of minimalist music, beautiful vocal harmonies, and black metal screams clashing, most tracks are epic pieces lasting 8-10 minutes. Their progressive spirit is exploding more than ever before. Or, respecting Ivar's words that "the prog scene has a conservative side, so I'd prefer to be called avant-garde," perhaps it would be more accurate to say they are even more avant-garde. The title 'E' is very simple. The rune letter 'Ehwaz', which corresponds to the letter 'E', is written as the letter 'M', which apparently means "horse" (because the shape of the letter 'M' resembles a horse). Horses, humanity's long-time partners, represent "trust" and "cooperation," and the simple title 'E' embodies the concept of "coexistence." And of course, 'E' is also the initial of Enslaved. This album is also the debut of the young 21-year-old keyboardist, Haakon Vinje. The younger members of Enslaved (Enslaved is celebrating its 26th anniversary!) have undoubtedly breathed new life into the band. This album also features a diverse range of guest appearances, including Einar Kvitrafn Selvik from the Norwegian folk-ambient group WARDRUNA, as well as flutists and jazz saxophonists. Even after a quarter of a century since their formation, Enslaved continues to seek new things. 'E' can be considered Enslaved's most avant-garde work to date. A must-listen for all extreme metal fans, as well as fans of progressive rock and avant-garde music. [Members] Ivar Bj?rnsson (guitar), Gr?tre Kjelsson (vocals/bass), Ice Dale (guitar), Haakon Vinje (keyboards/vocals), Kato Beckewol (drums) [Track Listing] 01. Storm Sun 02. The Rivers Mouth 03. Sacred Horse 04. Axis of the Worlds 05. Feathers of Eolour 06. Hindsight [Bonus Track] 07. Upet 08. What Else Is There (R?yksopp cover) [Japan-only Bonus Track] 09. Zizlova (Faith No More cover) Media Reviews and More Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved is set to release their 14th studio album! Completely abandoning the concept of "normal," this is their most "avant-garde" work to date, featuring irregular time signatures, bizarre chord progressions, and unconventional song structures! (C)RS