2026 Anniversary Series 058: Enslaved – Ruun

Scribed by Sandre the Giant Released: 8th May 2006 From the early 2000s. it became clear that Norwegian Viking black metallers Enslaved were going through somewhat of a metamorphosis, shedding their early second wave skin to take their sound into new and more adventurous territories. The Viking influences would live on, as would that early black metal spirit, but the music would grow into a much richer and more progressive sound, starting from 2001’s ‘Monumension’ and through to 2006’s instant masterpiece, ‘Ruun’. This was my first experience of Enslaved, and I can’t tell you how quickly I latched onto it. Twenty years on, it remains a masterpiece in a discography littered with them, and the most obvious evolutionary point If 2004’s ‘Isa’ had been the first ripples of how important Enslaved would become to the world of progressive black metal, then ‘Ruun’ would be the instant gratification for those of us who knew this band were about to become incredibly special. It is clear from…