AXIOMA ETHICA ODINI

When a black metal band like is featured on a sampler CD distributed with a progressive rock journal, then you can make a safe bet that that band is pretty special. That's what happened with Enslaved, whose track "Ethica Odini" was featured on Prognosis 11, Prognosis being a series of sampler CDs that come with eavery issue of the Classic Rock Presents Prog magazine.

I checked out "Ethica Odini" and liked it. I liked how it was really dark and full of black metal elements and yet kind of progressive and complex, so I decided to buy the CD (I bought the one wit the 7'' vinyl bonus record), and I think it's a really good black metal release. What I like about it is that the black metal feel is always there - you know, the focus on creating an atmosphere - regardless of how progressive the songs get. The most progressive tracks are probably "Night Sight" and "Lightening" - "Night Sight" contains elements which remind me of alt. rock of the 1990s while "Lightening", for some unknown reason, remind me of Muse's latest record. Still, even these tracks are dark and bleak as hell, the way black metal should be. "Axioma" is the odd man out, being an atmospheric synth piece (the odd man out, but still, it fits the atmosphere of the entire record).

This should appeal to fans of black metal, who like the black metal atmosphere, but perhaps want more variation than what raw black metal usually offers.

(review originally posted on metalmusicarchives.com and progfreak.com)