E (Enslaved album)

E
Studio album by Enslaved
Released	13 October 2017
Recorded	April & May 2017
Studio	Duper & Solslottet Studios, Earshot & Conclave Studios, Peersonal Sound, Fascination Street Studios
Genre	Progressive metal, black metal
Length	49:45 (standard version) 01:02:08 (with bonus tracks)
Label	Nuclear Blast
Producer	Grutle Kjellson, Ivar Bjørnson, Iver Sandøy
Enslaved chronology
In Times (2015) E (2017)

E is the fourteenth studio album by the Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on October 13, 2017 by Nuclear Blast.^[1]

Since the longtime keyboardist / vocalist Herbrand Larsen left the band in late 2016, this is the first album of Enslaved where Håkon Vinje plays the keyboards. This would also be the last album with Cato Bekkevold on drums before he quit in 2018.

It was given Norway's 2017 Spellemann Award for best metal album of the year.^[2][3]

Artwork

The title of the album represents the initial letter of the band name, but written with the runic character ehwaz (similar to 'M') on a minimalist and dark wooden cover art, created by designer and painter Truls Espedal. The concept of the symbol (which means 'horse'), is treated in a certain way in "Sacred Horse".

Enslaved songwriter and guitarist Ivar Bjørnson said:

Musical style and writing

The album maintains a musical style quite similar to its predecessor In Times (2015), although perhaps a little more melodic and atmospheric, following the base of progressive metal traditional.

The lyrical themes revolves around Norse mythology, vikings, and especially, around nature and ancient Nordic spirituality.

Bjørnson explains:

Recording and production

E was composed and written from April 2016 to March 2017. Subsequently, Iver Sandøy was hired again as record producer.

It was recorded at Duper & Solslottet Studios, Conclave & Earshot, Peersonal Sound in Bergen between April - May 2017 and was mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden in June 2017.

As usual in all Enslaved albums, E was once again written by the duo composer of guitarist Ivar Bjørnson (credited as Ivar Peersen) and singer and bassist Grutle Kjellson. Marks the introduction of their new keyboard master and clean vocalist Håkon Vinje of Seven Impale, a close collaborator of Bjørnson and Einar Selvik in their parallel musical project, called Skuggsjá.

The special edition of the album includes two bonus tracks (something unusual in Enslaved studio albums) recorded simultaneously but with no relation to the style of the rest: a black-doom song composed in Norwegian titled "Djupet" and an interesting cover of the 2005 Röyksopp hit "What Else Is There?", performed mostly by Vinje.

A music videos were made for the singles "Storm Son" and "The River's Mouth", both directed by Josh Graham, who previously worked with Soundgarden and Neurosis among others.

Track listing

All music composed by Ivar Bjørnson.

Personnel

Enslaved

• Grutle Kjellson – vocals, basses, double bass, bass pedals, FX
• Ivar Bjørnson – guitars, backing vocals, synthesizer, FX, piano
• Cato Bekkevold – drums
• Håkon Vinje  – vocals, organ, keyboards
• Ice Dale – guitars, backing vocals

Extra personnel

• Daniel Måge - Flute (track 5)
• Kjetil Møster - Saxophone (track 6)
• Einar Kvitrafn Selvik - Vocals (track 6)
• Iver Sandøy - Effects, Drums (track 7)

Chart performance

References