With the 25th Anniversary of the band, we've seen some nice reissues of vintage Enslaved albums in recent months, with the release of Roadburn Live, a live concert recorded at the famous festival in 2015, the focus is on newer material from the bands more recent output. So, that means songs from their more progressive period, taken from albums such as In Times, Riitiir, Isa, Below the Lights, and Monumension. This also happens to be Enslaved's first official live album.
The performances of the band here are staggeringly good, which is to be as expected. The energetic blend of black metal and prog that is "Building with Fire" kicks things off, with dueling clean & growling vocals courtesy of Herbrand Larsen and Grutle Kjellson, which is followed by the even more textured "Death in the Eyes of Dawn", as the keyboards become more prominent, Larsen's soaring melodic vocals once again combating Kjellson's gravelly roar. Plenty of ice cold riffing on the epic "In Times" courtesy of
Ice Dale and Ivar Bjørnson, giving the song a Rush meets Pink Floyd feel with a healthy dose of black metal, while "Daylight" features guest vocal appearances from Einar Selvik (Wardruna), Aðalbjörn Tryggvason (Sólstafir), Per Wiberg (Spiritual Beggars, Opeth, Candlemass, Kamchatka ). Other highlights include the frostbitten "Convoys To Nothingness", the Mellotron drenched "As Fire Swept Clean The Earth", a rampaging "Isa", and a wild take on the Led Zeppelin classic "Immigrant Song", easily one of the more unique covers you'll hear, with growls and clean vocals interchanging throughout, the guitars chugging and the keyboards providing a symphonic edge.
Roadburn Live is an epic progressive black metal affair all the way, Enslaved delivering a top notch live album that should easily be one of the best of the year.
Track Listing
1. Building With Fire 08:10
2. Death in the Eyes of Dawn 08:01
3. In Times 10:45
4. Daylight 09:45
5. Convoys To Nothingness 09:06
6. As Fire Swept Clean The Earth 07:14
7. Isa 04:46
8. Immigrant Song 06:57
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