Enslaved - Monumension

Karl Hungus

You know, this is an album that I haven't listened to in absolutely years. This was what introduced me to Enslaved, I got a lend of it from a friend and it blew me away, so I bought it the next chance. I loved it, at the time the band were something so completely different for me, along with Opeth's Blackwater Park I think Monumension was an album that really influenced my musical tastes in a huge way and got me into a lot of progressive music. The artwork really set the tone for the music, the way those first clean notes on Convoys to Nothingness echo and ring out, before the drums and distortion kicks in, it sounds absolutely vast...

But for some reason, the CD drive on my old PC wouldn't read it, so it had kinda just sat on the shelf for years going unlistened to, forgotten. Well, I picked up Enslaved's newest album Vertebrae a few weeks back, and after a while I decided to rip all their albums... I come to Monumension and I wonder to myself, will this work? And by god it did! Damn I was happy, because I was absolutely blown away once again. I've been listening to it on repeat almost constantly since.

And you know what I love so much about this album? The production. It's absolute perfection as far as I'm concerned. The sound is very raw indeed, but the definition in the low end was outstanding, the bass is just so prominent and that really added so much to the album, it just sounded so incredibly huge compared to anything else. By comparison, a lot of other bands had very tinny sounding bass drums and almost non-existent bass. Monumension just sounded as heavy as an earthquake at times, and serene as a deep ocean at other times.

Damn, I just love this album...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eQGx_kd84k8

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MdoCqviq4Y

Otis Driftwood

Sounds good.I picked up their Vertebrae album a while ago after reading a butt load of great reviews but I was terribly disappointed with it.The above sounds much better though.

Karl Hungus

nedtheshed wrote: »

Sounds good.I picked up their Vertebrae album a while ago after reading a butt load of great reviews but I was terribly disappointed with it.The above sounds much better though.

Ah, Vertebrae is terrific, but it's a bit of a grower so I'd say give it time.

Enslaved are an amazing band, I don't think they've got a single bad album in their career. I own 9 of their albums, and not one of them is boring. I'd suppose it depends on what you're into though, or if you're after something heavier.

Patricide

Never listened to these guys but I think i shall be checking out this album for sure.

I REALLY like the artwork.

Karl Hungus

Patricide wrote: »

I REALLY like the artwork.

It really is brilliant, isn't it?

Honestly, there's not that many metal albums that really stick out in my mind, but that one really is one of my favourites. Gojira's From Mars to Sirius is another one:

nacho libre

Its almost as good as the majestic Eld.

Convoys To Nothingness is an epic:cool: