Mið

Enslaved have spent decades carving a niche in the progressive black metal landscape, navigating the murky waters between avant-garde complexity and traditional metal weight. With 'Mið', the Norwegian veterans have produced a work that is aesthetically polished but creatively malnourished. It is a record that prioritises mood over movement, and in doing so, it loses the very momentum that once defined their progression.

From the opening moments of 'Non-Being', it is clear that the production is pristine. The guitars possess a clinical sheen, and the drums are captured with clinical precision. However, this cleanliness comes at a cost. The grit and raw, jagged edges that usually provide the friction in black metal have been smoothed over. While 'I Am Ice' attempts to establish a haunting, cavernous atmosphere, it feels more like a calculated exhibition of 'epicness' than a spontaneous musical outburst.

They have mastered the art of atmosphere, but lost the teeth of the riff.

The songwriting on 'Mið' often falls into the trap of grandiosity. Tracks like 'Solar Will' and 'Mountain' lean heavily on sweeping, ethereal textures. While these passages are undeniably beautiful in a cinematic sense, they lack the rhythmic urgency required to sustain a high-energy metal performance. The compositions frequently stall in these mid-tempo, atmospheric plateaus, making the listening experience feel ponderous rather than progressive.

Drumming is often the heartbeat of progressive metal, yet here, the percussion frequently feels subservient to the overarching 'vibe'. In 'Spirit Helper', the intricate patterns are buried beneath layers of synthesers and reverb. Instead of driving the song forward, the percussion often feels like it is merely trying to keep pace with the soaring, occasionally bloated, arrangements.

Where Enslaved previously excelled at injecting sharp, jagged riffs into their melodic structures, 'Mið' replaces those needles with a blunt instrument of texture. 'Tales of Trees' showcases this shift; it is a lovely piece of landscape-painting, but it lacks a definitive hook or a rhythmic hook that stays with the listener. The complexity is there, but it feels academic rather than visceral.

'Parting' and 'I Miðju' serve as the final, sprawling movements of the album. They are, by all accounts, gorgeous pieces of music, yet they reinforce the critique of the record: they are over-produced monuments to scale over substance. The band is playing in a stadium of their own making, but the crowd is missing. It is a hollow victory for the aesthetics of the genre.

Ultimately, 'Mið' is a proficient exercise in atmospheric black metal, but it fails to ignite. It is a beautifully decorated room with no furniture. While the musicianship remains top-tier, the lack of dynamic contrast and the retreat into overly expansive, sprawling structures makes for a tiring journey. It is an album for the connoisseurs of atmosphere, but it offers very little for those seeking the fire and grit of the genre's roots.