THE SLEEPING GODS

It is this EP by Norwegian band Enslaved, here labeled as a tech/extreme prog metal band, my ignorance on this genre does not allow me to explain and even understand the difference between its sub-genres, but well, labeling is not really what matters, but the music is. This is my first experience with this band, which has gained recognition and a lot of fans through the years, that is why I decided to listen to this free-to-download EP.

Entitled "The Sleeping Gods" it is a nice five-piece EP (28 minutes long) that shares different faces from the metal side of prog, and I do not really know if these diversity of sounds is characterized in the band's previous works, but it works here. The first track is "Heimvegen" , a nice opener song with predominant guitars but also wonderful keyboards as background. A think I instantly liked is that they sing in their native language (I believe) and that is always an extra point to me. However, in the second part of the song there is a voice speaking, which I don't completely like.

"Alu Misyrki" starts with a heavy-metal like guitar which seconds later is complemented by death vocals, creating a (pardon my redundancy) death-metal track. And the song continues like this, so this is definitely my least favorite track here. "Synthesis" has nothing to do with the previous tracks. This is a hypnotizing song, full of synthesizer atmospheres, colors and textures; it is like a spacey trip.

"Nordlys" is my favorite track here. It is repetitive but attractive nonetheless, I like especially guitars and drums. The sound is charming, not angry as the first tracks, here the music is progressing little by little and while the seconds pass, the instruments add different figures and elements, which gives richness to the track. The second part has some heavier stuff, but later returns to its original form.

And finally "The Sleeping Gods" which has a special tribal-like sound, a taste of some band's roots. It is cool to see different styles in an EP. That is what I liked the most here, of course, besides the fourth track. A worth listening one, so go and download it. My final grade will be three stars.

Enjoy it!

Share this ENSLAVED review

Social review comments () BETA

---

---

Review related links

• Send comments to memowakeman
• Report this review (#494343)
• Buy ENSLAVED music online with PA partners
• Show all ENSLAVED MP3/Stream
• Go to ENSLAVED page for videos, full discography with ratings, reviews and much more
• Go to The Sleeping Gods page for more details, where to buy and ratings/reviews
• Search the Forum for ENSLAVED related discussions