### Enslaved: Mardraum (beyond the within)

#### 13/06/08 || The Duff

One thing comes to mind when reviewing this album, and that is “raw”. Not in the very obvious, true black metal sense, but more in the sense that the band has coughed up the funds for recording and all that follows, but have decided to keep everything unpolished, allowing the experience of each musician shine through to accentuate the atmosphere of this metal masterpiece. Every mistake, slight variation in technique during the playing of each individual riff, occasional picking difficulties and the whole shebang can be picked up on this effort, and the fact that not only does it add to the music, but also puts Bjornson and Kronheim on a very revealing plinth upon which they seem completely unphased is just one of the elements that makes Enslaved one of metal’s leading bands, and “Mardraum – Beyond the Within” yet another milestone in Black/Viking metal – the guitar skills on this album would put most to shame; nothing is overly fancy, but I’d take a Kronheim solo over anything Yngwie has ever written, and this isn’t blues, jazz or Stephen Seagal’s band, we’re talking black fucken metal! This is fast and vicious stuff, yet somehow the lead playing holds a feeling unmatched by many of today’s shredders and guitar virtuosos.

So on “Mardraum” the production is very thin. Whether this agrees with the band’s sound is for the most part debatable; I’ll agree, it’s nice to have such a natural vibe to the album, and the detectable nuances in technique definitely bring a whole new aspect to things (no ProTools fucking around to perfection – this is real musicians terrain), but then I would also argue that a lot of the riffs could use a fleshing out that a healthy production could provide – this is without a doubt some of Enslaved’s best material (check out the opener and “Entrance-Escape” for the band’s earliest venturings into progressive territories), but as much as the clean guitars sound lush yet with a dryness befitting of the black metal aesthetic, the heavier, almost death-metal inspired material is lacking a punch that would propel this album into sexual-overdrive were it present. The sound awarded the drums as well seems to retract a lot of Dirge Rep’s skill, some would agree a disservice to one of metal’s most accomplished drummers.

So what of the material? Hot, crotchless pyjamas, the music here sure is mind-blowing. Enslaved have often been likened to Pink Floyd, and you can tell these Norwegians are heavily inspired by such a legendary act when delving into their prog embellishments. The black metal influence seems a tad diminished, greater focus being spent on dreamy soundscapes and some of Enslaved’s heaviest material, but then this band has never been one to sit still, and on “Mardraum”, you get the usual upper standard songwriting combined with yet another outstanding evolutionary step, albeit the most death-metal oriented, to the band’s meticulously crafted sound. Everything on this album brings a purpose as well as a richness that can not be competed with, as with “Mardraum” the most striking aspect is that Enslaved are a group comprising some of the music scene’s finest musicians.

In the end, this is Enslaved’s most accomplished, most rewarding and most complete work to date – the fact that it is a departure from their regular Viking style is what denies it top spot in the band’s discography. In terms of metal milestones, though, “Mardraum” goes widely underappreciated, and although Enslaved on the whole get sufficient recognition for their awesomness, the musical magnitude of this record is about as vast as it is unrecognised. When talking great metal albums, you got the classics, but to me, as much as “Mardraum” may well fall shy of such an accolade, you’ve also got those records so unblemished that they become just as important as if they had been released some ten-twenty years back. Plain and simple, this shit rules all, even if it’s mark hasn’t been felt quite so predominantly in the metal scene as with Enslaved’s earliest offerings.

9 present-day classic albums out of 10.

- Information
- Released: 2000
- Label: Osmose Records
- Website: www.enslaved.no
- Band
- R. Kronheim: guitars
- Grutle Kjellson: bass, synth, vocals
- Dirge Rep: drums

- Ivar Bjornson: guitars, vocals

- Tracklist
- 01. Larger than Time – Heavier than Night
- 02. Deadhymn
- 03. Inngang – Flukt
- 04. The Hive
- 05. Aege’s Dream
- 06. Nightmare
- 07. The Ending Empire
- 08. The Hive – Strangled by Purity
- 09. Warrior Unknown
- 10. Starhome

- 11. Freya’s Necklace