{"title":"Obtained Enslavement","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"soulblight-3","title":"Soulblight","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe 1998 Norwegian Black Metal classic ‘Soulblight’ re-issued! “Soulblight” is a worthy contender for one of the best Black Metal albums of the 90’s! 1997’s “Witchcraft” wass a challenging album to follow up with its cult status as one of the greatest Black Metal releases owing to its complex compositions and intricate orchestration. Yet Obtained Enslavement did exactly that, as “Soulblight” is a very different release but it maintained the quality and musicianship the band made themselves known for with “Witchcraft”. This release discards the openness and mystique of the orchestral arrangements in place of a more guitar and drum- oriented sound, but this works for the much darker and aggressive tone of “Soulblight”. The structure of the album is a highlight compared to its predecessor as it feels more conceptual and complete as a whole, rather than just a collection of songs. This makes sense as the lyrics tell an epic tale of a great war against the ‘soulblight’, a story that can be followed through the music itself too, thus making it a conceptual album in many ways. Speaking of instrumental work, the iconic and untouchable classically influenced composition (it would be insulting to call it songwriting) of guitarists ‘Heks’ and ‘Døden’, with its weaving and developed melodies to the complex chord sequences and intricate structures, is still an aspect that is so unique to this band; the composers truly have a great understanding of music in its high-art form. The performances delivered by the band are done with terrifying precision and clarity, unusual for the genre where commonly a ‘that will do’ attitude is employed; nowhere on this album can you hear sloppiness of any kind. Pest’s vocals are consistent and hair-raising, nothing about it sounds human and this works in favour of this otherworldly suite. Pytten has once again cemented himself as one of the greats in the Black Metal world and even just knowing this album was recorded in the infamous Grieghallen, adds to its grandeur and appeal. To conclude, “Soulblight” is a worthy contender for one of the best Black Metal albums of the 90’s. The world will likely never again see two Black Metal albums as perfect as “Soulblight” and “Witchcraft”, evil in its intent yet majestic and epic in its final form.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hammerheart Records","offers":[{"title":"CD","offer_id":50770948751691,"sku":"2231622","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_9ba78be0_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1730913653"},{"product_id":"the-shepherd-and-the-hounds-of-hell-2","title":"The Shepherd and the Hounds of Hell","description":"\u003cp\u003eNorwegian Black Metal classic re-issued! The fourth and final Obtained Enslavement album for the first time on vinyl! We do not know if it’s only our imagination, but when people discuss Black Metal bands from Norway then they often forget about Obtained Enslavement. It surely is not because we think they were unworthy being mentioned. Maybe it’s just because Obtained Enslavement was never considered a leading force on the Norwegian black metal scene and then it makes us forget about their uniqueness and brilliance. Well, for sure they are a band that every fan of Norwegian Black Metal should know and have the albums in their collection. They’re probably one of the first bands, which can be called symphonic black metal, but their music, despite having a strong keyboard\/orchestral background, was simply way more harsh and uncompromising when compared to other symphonic bands. “Soulblight” and “Witchcraft” were killer albums. But there’s also another one, which people often forget to mention, maybe because it is a bit different compared to the two just mentioned and it differs musically. We are talking about “The Shepherd and the Hounds of Hell”! The approach on this album is different, a bit more easy to listen to, filled with melodic, memorable parts, less chaotic, rough and less fast and with a strong professional production. Gone is the real dark and obscure atmosphere of the earlier albums, but don’t be afraid, “The Shepherd and the Hounds of Hell” is still an excellent effort. Obtained Enslavement remind us of bands like Diabolical Masquerade, Enslaved, Dimmu Borgir, Tartaros and Kvist on “The Shepherd and the Hounds of Hell”. Combining their mastery of creating profound Norse black melodies and the always-intense throat-scarring screams of vocalist Pest (Gorgoroth) in seven songs here, this band has created an excellent record.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hammerheart Records","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50899032113483,"sku":"2234468","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_71373c15_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1732715189"},{"product_id":"soulblight-4","title":"Soulblight","description":"\u003cp\u003eThe 1998 Norwegian Black Metal classic ‘Soulblight’ re-issued! “Soulblight” is a worthy contender for one of the best Black Metal albums of the 90’s! 1997’s “Witchcraft” wass a challenging album to follow up with its cult status as one of the greatest Black Metal releases owing to its complex compositions and intricate orchestration. Yet Obtained Enslavement did exactly that, as “Soulblight” is a very different release but it maintained the quality and musicianship the band made themselves known for with “Witchcraft”. This release discards the openness and mystique of the orchestral arrangements in place of a more guitar and drum- oriented sound, but this works for the much darker and aggressive tone of “Soulblight”. The structure of the album is a highlight compared to its predecessor as it feels more conceptual and complete as a whole, rather than just a collection of songs. This makes sense as the lyrics tell an epic tale of a great war against the ‘soulblight’, a story that can be followed through the music itself too, thus making it a conceptual album in many ways. Speaking of instrumental work, the iconic and untouchable classically influenced composition (it would be insulting to call it songwriting) of guitarists ‘Heks’ and ‘Døden’, with its weaving and developed melodies to the complex chord sequences and intricate structures, is still an aspect that is so unique to this band; the composers truly have a great understanding of music in its high-art form. The performances delivered by the band are done with terrifying precision and clarity, unusual for the genre where commonly a ‘that will do’ attitude is employed; nowhere on this album can you hear sloppiness of any kind. Pest’s vocals are consistent and hair-raising, nothing about it sounds human and this works in favour of this otherworldly suite. Pytten has once again cemented himself as one of the greats in the Black Metal world and even just knowing this album was recorded in the infamous Grieghallen, adds to its grandeur and appeal. To conclude, “Soulblight” is a worthy contender for one of the best Black Metal albums of the 90’s. The world will likely never again see two Black Metal albums as perfect as “Soulblight” and “Witchcraft”, evil in its intent yet majestic and epic in its final form.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hammerheart Records","offers":[{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50899033882955,"sku":"2234467","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/test_41165309_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1732715208"}],"url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/de\/collections\/obtained-enslavement.oembed","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}