Review by Adam M on January 4, 2018.

Enslaved comes back with an album that doesn’t quite do them justice yet again. This is the second time in a row for a band I used to love circa Axioma Ethica Odini. Now there’s nothing really wrong with E and it has perhaps one of their best songs ever on it, but it fails to move me the way some of their previous progressive albums have. It must be pointed out that Storm Son is amongst the finest songs that Enslaved have ever penned and a true epic. Outside of this track, there isn’t really anything to be terribly excited about, however.  

It seems the magic has worn off and there isn’t that peculiar special item to draw the listener to the band anymore. This results in songs that are more generic sounding than they used to be. There is still a variety of interesting riffing used, but it doesn’t make as much of an impact as albums like Axioma Ethica Odini, Below the Lights or Isa. The band seems to have peaked earlier on and produced their best progressive music and now they are just a shadow of their former selves. They still beat out a lot of bands of the style, but don’t have that standout aspect anymore that makes them one of a kind and the best at what they do. The only way to improve is to progress and it looks like Enlsaved is past the point where they progress and simply putting out music that doesn’t stand out as much.

Still, Storm Son remains a favorite and one that I’ll play numerous times because it goes through a number of shifts and dynamic changes. There simply isn’t anything else on this album that captures my attention to the extent of this song and this is unfortunate. This is still a solid album, but the band has done far better in the past.

Rating: 7.6 out of 10