Candlelight
2005
Isa (Bonus Tracks)
About This Album
The evolution of black metal remains among the most astonishing and unpredictable in all of rock. How else to describe a musical movement where the same artists whose early efforts comprised some of the most primitive and vile sonic mutations ever concocted could develop into highly skilled songwriters and musicians, capable of works of astounding maturity, surprising accessibility, and, most shocking of all, undeniable class -- all within the span of just over a decade! Of course, very few are the bands that actually weathered this radical transition relatively unscathed, and, considering many of them are gone (Emperor) or dabbling in styles other than metal (Ulver, Tiamat, etc.), Norway's Enslaved have emerged as quite possibly the standard-bearers of black metal's incredible progression. Devoted Viking metal stalwarts at the start (their early lyrics were written exclusively in Norwegian), Enslaved fared well, but not as well as early contemporaries Emperor and Mayhem, during the mid- to late '90s; but come the dawn of the new millennium, they began an inexorable ascent to the top of their genre thanks to courageously progressive albums like Mardraum, Monumension, and, in 2003, the stunning career pinnacle Below the Lights.
Track List (try tracks 2,3,5,6 and 7)

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