Review by Allan on April 20, 2002.

In 1997 after the bands last innovative and brutal album “Frost”, the band released an experimental and epic metal recording titled simply “Eld”. With the sad departure of talented drummer Trym Torson, the band brought in drummer Harald Helgeson. Not letting a loss let them miss a beat, Enslaved continued on with their musical vision and released one of the bands greatest albums.

The album opens with the amazing song '793 (Slaget Om Lindisfarne)'. Like Enslaved has been known to do with their openings, it’s a long song reaching at around fifteen minutes. Its grand and epic atmosphere is great and sets the tone for the rest of the album. You’ll find Grutle Kjellson’s chant-like clean vocals here, as you do in various other places on the album. The album moves on to 'Hordalendingen' where you see a slower version of 'Frost' show up. The band shows their black metal roots, like they always will do even in the most recent albums, more or less. Not so much like the opening track, you catch mostly black rasps in the vocal department here. A little genre restricting, possibly, but they fit the music very well. Next up, in the same manner as the previous song, is 'Alfablot'. This song picks up with the clean vocals and some keyboards again, often using the two at the same time creating a nice mood. A nice variation between what the band has already moved over. Next up is a combination of the second and third tracks, 'Kvasirs Blod'. Nothing is new here that we haven’t seen, but as always it’s excellent. The band touches a bit of new ground next with 'For Lenge Siden'. The track has a nice groove moving with it the entire way through. This is definitely a highlight of the album. Finally, the album closes with two excellent tracks to make the album complete. The entire album is very consistent, but it isn’t an album where songs mix and match to create an indistinguishable mess.

Bottom Line: From beginning until end, “Eld” is an amazing piece of work. It’s an album full of great things that stands alone as one of the greatest Viking metal releases of the 1990’s. You surely can’t go wrong by listening to this.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 10
Atmosphere: 10
Originality: 10
Production: 10
Overall: 10

Rating: 10 out of 10

Review by Adam M on March 14, 2026.

This was a very progressive entry to the band’s discography. It is similar in feel to Below the Lights, but is perhaps more straight-forward.   It is somewhat folkish and has a very characteristic style that is typical of the band’s progressive days. It is very adventurous and interesting. The songs are charismatic and energetic and the entire affair is a rousing time.

 The musicianship on the album is impressive with solid guitars and a great vocal performance. The instruments are fairly nicely produced and allowed to breath. The entire thing is fairly intelligently performed progressive metal. There is not anything that sticks out when compared to Below the Lights, but this is nicely performed indeed.

 This is flawed in the manner that it’s eclipsed by Below the Lights. The music is not as mind blowing as on that album and comes up a bit flat in comparison. There is not the same level of interesting aspects as that disc. This is more of a straightforward type of affair than that other disc and Below the Lights is more of a slow burner that takes time to build up.

 All in all, I had fun with this album and it is one of the more thoughtful progressive releases to be found. It is quite enjoyable and has a great atmosphere to it that is one of a kind and interesting. It is still not the band’s best disc and a step down from the magnificent Axioma Ethica Odini in particular.

Rating: 7.6 out of 10

Review by Allan on March 12, 2005.

Enslaved has been a longstanding icon in the metal world – always held with high regard and importance; looked up to as innovators and as a band that has never risen to an occasion with anything less than excellence. The band’s last album, Below The Lights, while musically apt and far above the norm, failed to attain a memorable status, and subsequently, left little impression on the mind after the initial awe had worn off. Despite this minor blemish, Enslaved has risen once again to the occasion with Isa, this time demolishing all that lay before it.

If Below The Lights made one question the vitality left in Enslaved, Isa shatters any such notions. Once again treading new paths and bordering on a fine line of progressivism, Enslaved leave us inspired and beyond impressed. As Enslaved have said in the past, they use old tools in new ways. Isa is the best elements of Enslaved reaching an apex in their career. It combines the abrasive nature of Mardraum – which is arguably the album in which the band began their venture into their current direction – with the ambitiousness of Monumension, of course with the band’s ever-growing aptitude in fine composition and style. Moreover, some of the earliest black metal elements of the band’s career are displayed here in fine form. Isa is everything we love about Enslaved, including their unpredictable nature and constant ability to surprise.

Isa provides the not only the music, but the atmosphere and emotion behind it. The band brings forth the bitter coldness of their ninety’s black metal with their modern sound. Furthermore, each and every note played is supported by an intensity that couldn’t have been crafted by chance, but only by a passion that has been evident in Enslaved since Vikingligr Veldi. Moreover, the production boasts a huge, dense sound that fills space, and Ivar Bjørnson’s incendiary guitar tone is incredible.

Every single riff, melody, and rhythm in this album is worth listening to a thousand times over. While I could dissect every element of this album down to the last second, nothing more really needs to be said other than that few if any metal bands around today come close to what Enslaved can do with their music.

Listening to a band like Enslaved, and more specifically an album like Isa, is such an anomaly simply because not only is it one of the finest album’s to come out in quite some time, but listening to it one knows that they’ve got hold of what will go down in metal history as a classic. Isa answers any and all questions as to the validity and importance of Enslaved today.

Categorical Rating Breakdown

Musicianship: 10
Atmosphere: 9
Production: 10
Originality: 9
Overall: 9

Rating: 9.4 out of 10