Enslaved - Vikinglir Veldi DLP(reissue)

 I must have pirated this album a dozen times in the last 7 years.  I had lost a couple of hard drives and motherboards(courtesy of DDOS and Porn) which forced me to have to download this damn album a few times.  Luckily for the blessed digital internet world, i never had to look to far to acquire a 1010101 copy of it.

  Now that it has FINALLY been reissued on wax I have had the fortunate opportunity of being able to pick it up.  I guess they added some artwork and lyrics with English translations, i never owned a copy of this album so i have no idea what the original had  in it.  I dont know why but lyrics have never really been important to me, i have always appreciated the voice as an instrument and never cared much about the content.  It actually kind of pisses me off that they have a " rough translation" from Icelandic to English because now i might actually have to read them.

Last two tracks on the album(Heimdallr,Norvegr)are my favorite so it is somewhat convenient that they have their own side on the albums. REPEAT.

Without jerking off too much over a classic album ill just say that this album made a great soundtrack for cruising through Norway's landscapes on the train.

Listen

streams of ancient wisdom....

  There isn't many Death Metal bands out there that tap the same vein as Asphyx.  I was first exposed The Rack via the DLA/DMU/ANUS best rated albums( and rightfully so) years ago when I first began my journey into the otherworldly sound of Death Metal.  I had placed this album high up above the rest of their catalog, mainly because of ignorance, partly because of laziness but mostly because i found the production unbearable on the others.  It wasn't until a few years later, after spinning The Rack a million times over, that i thought i should give this other album another chance. Embrace The Death, marketed as a hangover from the musicians and essentially a duplicate of their debut, this album was released with the pretext of being for major fans of Asphyx exclusively...

Wrong!

  Sending the listener into the dooming cosmic realm of their creation, Asphyx had at this point mastered their sound and vision. Im still unsure of why this was not released as the debut( i havent done my homework on this one)but it doesnt really matter.  The immense long melodies achieved by the leads on these tracks are what unleashes the true spirit of this band's vision.  I get a sense of nostalgia when listening to this album, as if it was played to me in past life or if its very sound vibrates through the cosmos itself.  Im sure most will have mixed feelings about this album due to the production and unfamiliarity of the vocalist(R.I.P) but this is a very special album and it comes highly recommended from me. Take this one for a walk folks!

listen.
buy.