ENRAPTURE – Drønn

RELEASE YEAR: 2024

BAND URL: https://enrapture1.bandcamp.com/

The Norwegian progressive post death metal ensemble Enrapture’s third installment, Drønn²⁰²⁴ EP, independently released last April 5th is, to, again (as I’ve used it before) quote Patrick Bateman from “American Psycho” a curious little dish I was surprisingly presented by our dear chief editor, Andrea, quite a while ago, I might add, one I badger myself for not getting around to evaluating sooner as it’s a very original piece of art. At just under 22 minutes across four tracks, Drønn feels less like an EP and more like a focused distillation of everything this band has been building toward since their 2012 formation as Fredrik Schjerve (vocals, guitars), Alexander Lange (guitars), Lars Løseth Takle (drums) and Christian Tjore (bass-2015), it’s them at the absolute peak of their powers, and most immediate thing that struck me was the sheer leap in cohesion and confidence since Another Green Drought²⁰²¹.

Part of that evolution can be credited to a now-solidified lineup: for five years, Enrapture were without a full-time bassist. That changed in 2020 with the addition of Ole Oma Dahle, and it shows. The low end here doesn’t just support the songs—it drives them forward with clarity and force. The excellent debut EP Embarkment²⁰¹⁵ could have already been fantastic but the Robert Smith (The Cure) cleans had been so ill-fitting and detracted from the much heavier music, the much more prevalent growls somewhere between Guthrie Iddings (early Daylight Dies) and Mikael Åkerfeldt (Opethian), the hardcorish melodic death metal with excellent progressive edge recalling both Between The Buried And Me and Mastodon, while occasional alternating of the harsh vocals with cleans had not worked and had been thankfully brief, but, overall, the music had been consistently fantastic. Enrapture themselves seemed to have caught that dissonance of Smitheyan vocals and music on their so far the only full length, the excellent Another Green Drought²⁰²¹ (both recordings, like Drønn, can be heard on their Bandcamp page) as the cleans, although present, were greatly improved resembling the choral quality of the first three Opeth albums, the hardcore often giving way to post-metal and even black metal with interesting atmospheric departures reminiscent of Pink Floyd, Fish Marillion or even Control Denied’s song “The Fragile Art Of Existence”, however, the insight seemed to have not been unilateral as one track featured the Robert Smith impersonation full force – just as ill-fitting as on Embarkment.

There’s a fearlessness in the songwriting now that sets them apart from their peers. Drønn thrives in longer, lateral song structures reminiscent of Between The Buried And Me or Enslaved, rather than relying on the more immediate grooves you’d associate with Gojira or Mastodon. These are movements, not just tracks. And, thankfully, finally, no destracting Robert Smith vocals this time around but a well-fitted mix of semi-cleans, hardcore screams and growls.

“Of Burning Stone and Water” is the crown jewel—beginning with a haunting arpeggiated black metal lick before detonating into a post-metal expanse. The Ulcerate influence is strong, but never derivative. The interplay between the harsh growls and the raspier, post-metal screams is ferocious, and when the song breaks into its faster melodic death metal climax, I got actual chills. It’s chaotic and beautiful in equal measure. “Finitude” shows their melodic strengths best, especially toward the ending “is it my chance for predestination”—slowly unfolding with atmosphere and groove before plunging into something heavier, even blackened, all while weaving in occasional clean vocals. The melodies stick with you long after the song fades into the ether. If there’s one track that confirms Enrapture deserve a full-length deal, this is it. Even the slightly weaker “Deluge”—the shortest song—features stellar drumming and a strong Gojira/Mastodon flavor. It’s not a bad track by any means; it just doesn’t scale the same heights as the others and feels a bit confined in its structure.

The production by Rune Stavnesli is impeccable—organic yet punishing—while engineering from Jon-Anders Orlien and Ole Dahle brings out every nuance. Magnus Gulbrandsen’s mastering keeps everything clear without sacrificing heaviness and this perfection easily extends to originality, musicianship and creativity, however, due to some of the songwriting shortcomings Drønn remains just an excellent EP, not fantastic.

Still, on Drønn, Enrapture are not just refining their sound—they’re claiming their identity. The blend of shoegaze textures, death metal brutality, and post-metal atmosphere is executed with an assurance that screams for label attention. Seriously, someone sign this band. I need to hear what a full-length sounds like with this lineup and this level of vision.