Enslaved
 

Well, Black metal doesn't have much of a following here...Might as well try and open a thread on it. And no other better way to do it than Enslaved.
Progressive Black Metal would be a good description of their music. Most of their stuff are well produced and nothing like the traditional rawer black metal. Their 90s material are more black/viking metallish than progressive(but still well produced). It's harder to get into, but awesome once you get on with it. Their more recent material are a lot more progressive with a LOT of Pink Floyd influences. I'll start with the progressive stuff, and if you do like it, you can move on to their earlier material.

Below the Lights and Isa would be a perfect starting point. Vertebrae(their latest release) is quite good as well and by far their most Pink Floydish. Below the Lights is my favorite though. Just a few of their tracks-

The Dead Stare
Ground(from Vertebrae which released a few weeks back)
Havenless
Bounded by Allegiance(from Isa)
Lunar Force(from Isa)
Ruun(from Ruun)

The only thing that needs getting used to here are the Harsh vocals, but that's a prerequisite for most black/extreme metal anyways. I'll post a compilation if there is more interest.

MySpace.com - Enslaved - Bergen, NO - Metal / Progressive / Experimental - www.myspace.com/enslaved

i like enslaved i only have earlier stuff, but im d-loading vertebrae at the moment

They're hit and miss. Vertebrae is probably their best album to date though.

i like frost
but a band i jsut got into called amorphis is pretty chill

Vikingligr Veldi and Frost are both superb black metal albums, but their progressive stuff definitely is a better option to start with.

And while I'm not a big fan of "Melo-Death" other than the big 3(and a couple here and there), Tales From The Thousand Lakes is definitely one of the greatest doomy-melo-death albums ever. It has a psychedelic kinda sound as well. Sheesh, Melo-death should have died out in the late 90s. Now It's as cheesy as power metal, with the odd exception of course.

Anyways, lets not change topic here :D

I have just been overdosing myself with Enslaved :D

Eh, I bought "Frost" and later got "Below the Lights" a while back. 'Fenris' is one of my favorite Black Metal songs.... solid riffs, and the ping-ping of the keyboard in that unusual crescendo.

I don't like "Below the Lights", though. The 70s rock element became so pronounced it resulted in meandering songs that go no where, pointless additions (zOMG, FLUTES!!!), and some boring riffs.

That's my assessment of this psychedelic trend in metal, though. Whether it by Amorphis or Nachtmystium's later work...

If you like that trend you should check out C.S.S.O. if you get the chance. Their "Are You Excrements?" album has the psychedelic influence in the riffs, which are surprisingly solid, but they have an annoying tendency to edge into half-assed noise ala Metal Machine Music.

Enslaved hold a very special place in my heart, and are easily my favourite black metal band. Below the Lights and Mardraum: Beyond the Within are two of their best albums. I like that they are not afraid to experiment with '70's progressive rock yet still not feel like they've sacrificed any of their original sound. A goal of my life is to see them in concert at least once.

ISA is a tremendous record and is currently my favorite, but that's bound to change because they have such a masterful and diverse discography. ISA is a great gateway album because it finds Enslaved in heavy prog mode, experimenting w/industrial, ambient, black metal and many other elements they've incorporated throughout their history. It's an intense experience. Comparisons to Pink Floyd, imo, are completely overstated, so be forewarned. Yea, a tune may start with a moody synth, but abrasive necro-guitar riffing and black metal shrieks still dominate. What's really cool though, is the lead guitarist will rip a blazing impassioned extended guitar solo at least one or twice an album. Definitely, one of my favorite metal bands of all time.

A goal that I accomplished tonight much to my delight. It has been a very long time since I've seen a metal show and besides having to stand through two boring opening acts, Enslaved absolutely stole the show. I felt sorry for Dimmu Borgir who had to follow because the band just had the audience eating out of their palms. There weren't a lot of Enslaved fans at the start of their set, but I think by the end of it everyone in the audience was. My only complaint was their set was too short (to make room for Dimmu Borgir... who aren't anywhere near as good) and they didn't include any material from Below the Lights (2003). They were the only band to actually engage with the audience, even throwing in a few jokes here and there between each song. My neck, voice, and ears are aching with pleasure from getting to see them and that is a big fat thing I can check off my "to do" list in life. I really hope they come back as headliners because they are too talented to be a supporting band.