FROST

I remember being a fan of their Vikingligr Veldi album. Frost therefore came as a shock with it's back-to-basic black metal sound. Enslaved has always claimed that they were never a black metal band. But this album is very much down that alley. After a long, boring intro, that is. It is pretty good black metal, but still black metal. Enslaved's take on the scandinavian gods (myself exluded) is featured in the folk-rock song Yggdrasil. The rest is good black metal.

This is a black metal release and nothing else. It also sounds a bit dated compared to the likes of 1349 etc etc. But I regard all albums by Enslaved as interesting. I think it is one of the most essential bands in today's scene. But this album is perhaps the last one on anyone's shopping list.

2.5 stars