Enevelde – En Gildere Død (Review)

This is the second album from Enevelde, a Norwegian solo black metal band.

2020’s Enevelde was an enjoyable record that made a good impression. Now the artist behind Enevelde has returned with 39 minutes of new material, showcasing the sort of well-rounded black metal that’s a definite cut above the norm.

En Gildere Død is an album with a lot of character. On the surface of it Enevelde’s work shares many similarities with any number of other 90s-influenced black metal acts, but in actual fact this music has a lot of exceptional elements.

En Gildere Død is a strongly melodic album, but of a lesser seen variety. Frequently mixing together beauty, atmosphere, and emotion in various affecting ways, there’s a lot to explore across these songs. The music has an epic streak a mile wide, yet also feels intimate and personal in places in ways that are not commonly encountered. The focus on keen atmospheric presence is well-crafted, yet the music can also be venomously serrated and aggressively raw when it wants to be. The riffs are infectious and sharp. They’re arranged in patterns and rhythms that stand out from the teeming blackened hordes.

The vocals are unusual too, and I mean that in a complimentary way. They’re ferociously dark and malevolent, delivered with caustic brutality, while simultaneously carrying a larger degree of emotion than is expected.

I really like En Gildere Død. It’s the sort of black metal that you can just lose yourself in. It’s very well-written, full of dark esoteric personality, and provides the listener with a quality, immersive experience throughout. Each song has its own charisma and feel, and the artist clearly has strong songwriting skills that make the most of an obvious love for the style. This is music with both style and substance.

This came out back in May, so I’m a bit late to the party, but you won’t want to miss out on this.

Very highly recommended.