Before the weekend can deliberate its arrival, Thursday sees progressive/black/Viking metallers Enslaved live in London in support of their highly acclaimed new album 'In Times'. Having last sold out the Underworld and leaving many of their adherents crestfallen, it is unsurprising to see these Norwegians at the capital's roomier O2 Academy an audience figures certainly exhibit the appetite for them.
Sweden's Grand Magus play a particularly different category of metal to Enslaved. Theirs is of the traditional heavy variety, an effort the three-piece have been conjuring since 1999 – far pre-dating those who have accrued the metal world's attention by hopping onto this trend in the past few years. As their set starts, galloping rhythms, grand soundscapes and the vocals of frontman JB Christoffersson, somewhere between Manowar's Eric Adams and Primordial's Nemtheanga, paint the venue. The spectators' spirits are raised as fists beat the air throughout the songs and hearty applauses greet their conclusions.
Ploughing through selections from throughout their career, Grand Magus elicit the idealised heavy metal equilibrium between imagination and a broad but not melodramatic heaviness. 'Steel Versus Steel', 'Iron Will' and 'Like the Oar Strike the Water' are instances of the Swedes' at their most memorable, crafting worthy albeit not unorthodox riffs and economically using power chords to underscore the impact of the singing. However, the timbres and tones rarely stray from this safety net of confidence the band is clearly adept at harvesting and so the set trundles at a less dynamic pace as it progresses, deficient in revelation. Although the crowd's response remains favourable towards Grand Magus, their overall enthusiasm is clearly waning but this does not affect the members on stage who continue with their hard hitting metal attack and motivated presence.
Opening with the lengthy 'Thurisaz Dreaming' from this year's 'In Times' is a fantastic start to progressive metallers Enslaved's set. Although the song clocks in over eight minutes, time sprints by as the song provides a summary of the their career rediscovers caustic heaviness present in the Norwegians' earlier side of their repertoire, spliced by hypnotic and otherworldly prog rock instrumentation. Despite this tour celebrating 'In Times', only one other song from this release is aired tonight (presumably due to their longplaying times) – 'Building with Fire' and this track employs Viking metal rhythms alongside singerand keyboard player Herbrand Larsen enjoying more vocal space than he has had on previous records, all while being supported by the growls of Grutle Kjellson.
Given the expansive nature of Enslaved's discography, promoting all eras of their existence is close to impossible tonight. 'Ruun' staples 'Fusion of Sense and Earth' and the title track succeed in evoking mosh pits while the scarcely heard 'Convoys to Nothingness' is a gift for the Norwegians' most devoted fans. 'All-Father Odin' from 1993 'Hordanes' Land' EP always goes down a storm with its aggressive black metal vigour never once losing its bite in its eight minutes. The band enjoys themselves with amusing stage banter and plenty of movement while playing. After 'Convoys to Nothingness', the progressive Vikings abruptly depart the stage, only to return with the visceral 'Fenris' favourite, effortlessly morphing the centre of the venue into a moshing maelstrom. Thanking the attendees,Enslaved vacate the stage yet again and some time lapses before the house lights annoyingly illuminate the room, signaling the sincere termination of the event.
Enslaved's enduring legacy is an impressive one, still tenaciously wielding intrigue and creative passion to this day. Their concerts are always must-attend events and their popularity among metalheads shows little sign of diminishing despite the inclusion of more non-metal elements – rightfully so. With so many albums bearing their logo, an hour and a half set almost seems too brief to truly appreciate all these ambitious Norwegians have to offer. However, considering their eagerness to include London on their tours, it is safe to say they will return.
FUTURE GIGS
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