Compared to every recent Enslaved opus I believe “Axioma Ethica Odini” is generally better and in any case far superior to “Vertebrae” and definitely harder as it is based –luckily for all of us- to the guitar riffs.
Let’s take a closer look…The influence of Roger Waters in the vocals is clearly much more reduced here in comparison with “Vertebrae” while the black growls of Grutle are triumphantly dominant (again…luckily for all of us). Enslaved’s legacy since the “Isa” days is the inclination towards the experimentation with the progressive and post-rock sounds. As a consequence, there comes forth a melodic atmosphere thus “Axioma Ethica Domini” loses any hope of displaying an epic dimension to the song structure (this time, unluckily for all of us…). Ivar and Ice Dale manage to find the necessary space to uplift the songs with their violent guitar riffing. We must point down that the compositions are quite simple –despite the presence of prog elements or ambient sounds- and I guess it is obvious that the record is forwarded to a much larger metal audience and not exclusively to all the black metallers out there.
The highlights of the album include “Ethica Odini”, “Axioma” and “Lightening”.
