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Track Listing: Heimvegen Alu Misyrki Synthesis Nordlys (Instrumental) The Sleeping Gods

As a follow-up to last year's release of their amazing full-length album 'Axioma Ethica Odini', Norwegian progressive metal masters Enslaved recently came out with a 5-song EP titled 'The Sleeping Gods on the Scion A/V label. Thanks to Scion, this release is available as a free download, and CDs were given out for free at the Scion Matinee shows that have taken place since the release date. The label was kind enough to send me a promotional copy of the vinyl, which has enabled me to come up with a thorough description of what this release is all about, sonically and otherwise.

Packaging And Artwork: The high quality 180-gram vinyl comes in a nice slipcase-style sleeve, which is perfect for a promo copy because it's light and easy to handle. The cover artwork itself, as you can see, speaks volumes for the music that awaits inside it, and is quite befitting for a band like Enslaved. The intriguing thing is that this piece of art can be looked at in different ways, and I read something about it resembling a "New World Order" because of the eye and the triangle in its center. The band has clarified that those are symbols of Northern Mythology, and it's the artist who gave it a more NWO type of look, which doesn't necessarily reflect the ideology of the band members. The artwork on the back is the same except for the eye and triangle, which is replaced by the track listing. This mysticism in the visual aspect of this EP breeds further curiosity about the music itself.

Music: The dark, atmospheric and easy-going "Heimvegen" gives the EP a brilliant start and besides Ivar Bjornson's prowess on the guitar, the harsh vocals combined with chants give it the mystic element that completely justifies the artwork. "Alu Misyrki" comes across as a total contrast, a fast-paced tune that carries a very raw, almost punk-ish feel to it. This should go down well with the black metal fans and make it a killer live song. The contrast from track to track continues with "Synthesis", a tune that's all about its ambience more than anything else. It has a very prominent psychedelic touch to it, reminiscent of the likes of Pink Floyd and The Alan Parsons Project.

Side B starts off with my favorite tune on this EP, the instrumental "Nordlys". When I first heard it, the music on this tune left me so speechless that the only words I can find to describe it are, six minutes of pure ecstasy. If you haven't heard it, you are missing out on something absolutely incredible. The final tune on this mesmerizing release is the title track, which is sort of similar to "Synthesis" in the sense that it's all about the ambience, but the prayer-like chants create an image in the listener's mind that befits the song title, and indeed the album as a whole.

Enslaved is one of the rare bands out there that don't seem to do anything wrong, and this is a classic example of just that. Even though they've expanded their boundaries with the music on this release, the brilliance that we've come to expect from Enslaved is still very much evident here. This set of tunes is not so much progressive as it is spacey, ambient and psychedelic. This should open up a whole new fan base for the band which would transcend far beyond merely the 'black metal' crowd, and in fact this is already happening, with the band slated to tour with Ghost this coming fall. I wouldn't be surprised if the band gets on more tours of this nature, but I also wouldn't be surprised in the least bit if their next release musically bears no resemblance to this one. And the fact that I'm getting to listen to this on 180-gram vinyl has further elevated my listening experience to a level that justifies the musical genius of Enslaved.

An otherworldly 28 minutes of incredible music.

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