Rare Americanrelease in screenprinted puch with fold-out booklet. Clear cassettewith green text. Limited 250 copies

Vikinligr Veldi isthe first full-length album from Norway's Enslaved. It was releasedin February 1994, by Deathlike Silence Productions. This was one ofthe last records to be released by DSP, as Euronymous has beenmurdered some months earlier. It may have been a good thing that hewas gone before this emerged, as one might imagine he would nothave been completely thrilled with the finished product. What isfound here on Enslaved's debut record is something that is notexactly in line with the darker and more evil atmosphere thatcharacterized most of the other DSP releases. The material is notthat far removed from what can be heard on the Yggdrasill demo.However, the raw recording of that tape may have disguised theband's music a bit, making it seem more aggressive that it reallywas. Once Enslaved was able to clean their sound up a little, onecan see that it is really quite different from what most of theother Norwegian bands were doing, on a fundamental level. Ofcourse, the main themes of songs like Vetrarnott and Heimdallr arebuilt around the same sort of fast tremolo melodies that werecommon in Norwegian black metal. Even the heavy use of synth wasalready done by the likes of Emperor and Satyricon, so this wasnothing new, either. However, the basic atmosphere is much lighterthan that of their peers. There is nothing dark or evil about this,whatsoever, which really sort of sets Enslaved apart from the rest(though one could say that Immortal focused more on a cold feelingthan anything particularly evil, at least, from Pure Holocaust on).One could say that there is still a rather harsh feeling that isconveyed through Grutles feral vocals and the more intense moments,such as the high-speed battery of Heimdallr. From this it wouldseem that Trym's timing has improved, greatly. The sense ofgrimness shifts from candlelight rituals to something morereflecting the ruggedness of the Norwegian landscape and the Vikingperiod which serves as such an inspiration for the band.Nonetheless, what this lacks by not possessing a morbid and occultfeeling it more than makes up for with the majestic and epic natureof the many memorable guitar melodies that fill its fifty-minuterunning time. Compared to the previous demo, Vikingligr Veldi showsa final realization of the ambitious approach that was found onthat cassette. Whereas many of the ideas were incomplete and seemedstitched together, at times, things seem to flow much better here.That is not to say that the songwriting is without any flaws. Thereare times when it would appear the certain songs go on longer thanthey should. In the case of Midgards Eldar, things take a littletoo long to really get underway. The build-up is somewhat weak anddrags on, while also feeling a little disjointed from the main riffthat is introduced thereafter. With four of the album's five tracksclocking in around eleven minute in length, this can be a bit of atedious listen. Thankfully, the quality of the material demandsthat you put in the effort, regardless. Even Norvegr manages togrow on you, despite its slow and plodding pace. The absolutelygloomy feeling that it creates is difficult to ignore. It is placedwell; as the epic journey that the album takes you on is likely toleave you battered and weary, by this point. The production isreally strong and rather clean for a black metal album. The guitarriffs are much clearer than on In the Nightside Eclipse or DarkMedieval Times, for example. The sound is overall heavier as well,with more focus on the riffs than the aforementioned records,despite the similar tendency to use synth a bit more than needed.In the case of Enslaved, it is done far more sparingly, thoughmaybe not as tastefully. The 'horns', or whatever, are really outof place and do not help the atmosphere of the songs. Still, thekeyboards are not so high in the mix as to overpower the rest, likein the case of Emperor. As well, the vocals are at just the rightbalance to be heard well and for the intensity of Grutle's voice tobe felt, but not so much that it becomes abrasive and distracting.The few lead guitar solos are also done well, in that they are notburied in the mix and impossible to hear, like with many otherunderground releases of the time. All in all, Vikingligr Veldi isthe best album that Enslaved ever recorded and earned them theright to stand at the same level as their Norwegian peers. The onlynegatives here, such as the lengthy compositions and synth use, areeasily forgotten when one realizes the full brilliance on display.While Frost may be somewhat easier to digest, Vikingligr Veldiprovides a far more rewarding experience and is much more worth thetime invested. This is an essential record for fans of cold andepic black viking metal.

Track list:
1. Lifandi Lif Undir Hamri
2. Vetranott
3. Midgards Eldar
4. Heimdallr
5. Norvegr-Instrumental

Condition cover:nm

Conditioncassette: nm

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