FROST

Despite their reputation, Frost was Enslaved 's only true black metal album. Released shortly after a fascinating prog-Viking bout in Vikingligr veldi, this is the only stage in their career that doesn't make total sense in light of where they were going as a band. The debut album came pre-packaged with the Viking pomp of their mid-period and the 70s prog rock homages of the latter years.Frost, in contrast, sounds like a fairly traditional Nordic black metal album, far more representative of the year both albums came out. This counter-intuitive devolution on the band's part begs many comparisons with the better-known Nattens Madrigal. However, unlike Ulver's lo-fi masterpiece, it doesn't feel like Enslaved really distinguished themselves in this arena. It's a fine contribution to the Second Wave pantheon, but doesn't othrwise stand out as one of their finer moments.

The strange thing is that I used to think otherwise. Back when I used to listen to Enslaved religiously, I often counted Frost near the top of their albums. By contrast, the anthemic turn they took on Eld didn't do much for me. Now it's the exact opposite. It's funny that a decade can turn an opinion around like that. Ironically, I'm far more into the traditional end of BM than I've ever been. Perhaps it's the context of having heard more of their contemporaries that arguably nailed this sound so much better that thinned out some of my enthusiasm.

My opinion has waned over the years, but when that dust settles, I still consider us all fortunate that we got to hear Enslaved playing a more true-to-form breed of black metal before crossing the point of no return. Compared to Vikingligr veldi, Frost is to-the-point and aggressive. The warm orchestrations are largely gone, replaced here with droning synths that occasionally flesh out the riffs overtop. Although this is easily Enslaved's most straightforward album, it still manages to sound more refined than the majority of their peers. As opposed to falling in line with the raw zeitgeist, Enslaved's re-imagining as "true" black metal places them somewhere between the intricate speed of their splitmates in Emperor, and the more characteristic Nordic force of Bathory circa Blood Fire Death. Part of the former impression no doubt hails from the drumwork of Trym Torson, who shares credits on the early Enslaved material and most of Emperor's as well. The core members Enslaved have never had the ravenous kick of their "evil" contemporaries. As it stands, Torson's frantic drums tend to overpower the rest of the performances. This only goes to his credit as one of black metal's unsung greats, but the fact that the other members don't match up in this energy probably offers some indication why they decided to distance themselves from black metal.

As a black metal band, Enslaved tend to set themselves apart on the very basis that they've always been "more" than a black metal band. Whether it's been the acoustic undertones, chanted warrior vocals, or the complex prog rock pastiche of their latter work, they've always blurred the lines of what constitutes that genre, without ever compromising what it should represent ideologically. While the acoustic interludes and relative clarity on Frost makes it far from being a truly conventional black metal record, this is easily the closest we've ever come to hearing what Enslaved would sound like if they took the better-travelled road. While the results haven't held up as well as their progressive material, it is impressive to see them consciously backtracking here. Rest assured, they did so without losing the essence of what made them unique.

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