Enslaved - E (2LP) - Clear Vinyl

Enslaved’s E arrived on 13 October 2017 through Nuclear Blast, a late‑career jolt from a band that has made reinvention feel like second nature. It is the fourteenth studio album from the Norwegian stalwarts, and it quietly marks two big shifts. Håkon Vinje steps in on keyboards and clean vocals, bringing a warm, unhurried tone that suits the band’s proggy lean, and it is the final studio outing with drummer Cato Bekkevold, whose steady, tribal power underpins so much of their 2000s and 2010s run. The title nods to the Ehwaz rune, the horse, a symbol of movement and partnership. That idea of propulsion and shared momentum fits, because E feels like five musicians pulling in the same direction and finding new ground.

The first thing you notice on the ten‑minute opener Storm Son is the patient build. Winds, layered synths, an almost pastoral calm, then those guitars unfurl like a tide coming in. Enslaved have long balanced frostbitten roots with a fascination for Yes and King Crimson, and Storm Son is a perfect stitch of those threads. Vinje’s clean lines rise and fall over Grutle Kjellson’s gravel, the choir‑like harmonies giving the harsh vocals extra bite rather than smoothing them out. Arve Isdal’s guitar answers Ivar Bjørnson’s riffs with knotted melodies, and Bekkevold sits deep in the pocket, riding toms and cymbals in a way that keeps the track breathing. There was a striking video for it too, all horses, nature and a sense of old myths alive in the landscape, and it set the tone for how this album was received by long‑timers and curious newcomers.

If Storm Son is the slow dawn, The River’s Mouth is where the sun is up and the band gets to stride. It is tight, hooky by Enslaved standards, and it carries a melody you can hum on the walk to the train. The chorus blooms, the keys feel almost Hammond‑like, and the rhythm section clicks into a driving canter. Sacred Horse is the most obvious wink to the rune in the title, and it gallops the way a track with that name should. The riffs cut clean, the tempo shifts keep you alert, and the mid‑song pullback lets the organ and guitar spirals flash before the band kicks back in with a grin. These songs are built for rooms that smell like warm valve amps and beer, where the audience knows when to bang heads and when to sway.

What E nails, and what keeps me coming back, is the way the band layers texture without losing focus. The synths are rich but never syrupy, the guitars gleam, and there is room for little folky phrases and psychedelic swirls that flicker through and vanish before you can pin them down. Vinje’s presence is key. His voice does not fight Kjellson’s, it frames it, and that interplay lets Enslaved lean into long‑form arrangements that still feel immediate. It is the sound of a group that trusts the song more than any single trick. You can hear that same trust in the quieter passages, where the cymbals whisper and the bass plays air between the notes.

Truls Espedal’s cover art, stark and elegant, completes the package. He has been part of Enslaved’s visual world for years, and E might be one of his most quietly striking contributions, a design that looks even better scaled up on a gatefold. Which brings me to the format question. If you are crate digging for Enslaved vinyl, E is a satisfying spin. The dynamics are generous, the low end feels weighty without mud, and the quieter layers breathe in a way that suits a good turntable. If you like to buy Enslaved records online, keep an eye out for clean copies, because the quieter intros shine when the wax is tidy. It sits nicely alongside other Enslaved albums on vinyl, the artwork and sequencing doing what they are meant to do, which is pull you into the world before the needle drops.

E was greeted warmly on release, and time has only helped it. It sounds like a veteran band still curious, still in love with the work. Put it on late, let Storm Son wash the room, and by the time The River’s Mouth hits you will remember why this group keeps winning new ears decades in. In a Melbourne record store I once saw someone hover between a battered Frost reissue and a fresh copy of E. They took both. That feels right. If you are building out a shelf of vinyl records Australia wide, or just dipping a toe into progressive black metal, this album is a smart place to land. E vinyl rewards patience and volume, and it shows Enslaved doing what they do best, which is charting a path that only they could find.