Thirty-five years into their career, Enslaved still leave themselves room to change course. On Mið, their seventeenth studio album, the Norwegian progressive metal veterans explore the idea of a center while continuing to push outward. The album takes its title from an Old Norse word meaning “center” or “middle,” using that concept to examine mythology, human experience, and our relationship with the world around us.

Getting there required a creative reset. Guitarist Ivar Bjørnson had material prepared and studio time booked when he decided to discard most of his demos. “I Am Ice” became the guide for a fresh approach, with its directness and spontaneity establishing what he wanted from the rest of the record. For a band this far into its recording life, starting again represented a substantial commitment to following an idea wherever it led.

That spirit carries into the guest appearances. Sámi musician Johan Sara Jr. brings traditional yoik singing to “I Am Ice,” joining a vocal arrangement that includes bassist Grutle Kjellson and keyboardist Håkon Vinje, with drummer and singer Iver Sandøy driving the performance. “Spirit Helper” features Kevin Kicking Woman of the Blackfeet Nation, opening another conversation between Enslaved’s music and Indigenous vocal traditions. Both collaborations expand the album’s exploration of how voices communicate meaning beyond words.

“Solar Will” approaches the record’s central questions through the sun’s power to sustain and destroy. Bjørnson has described its musical direction in terms of muscular riffs, John Bonham-inspired grooves, and bursts of melody, while Kjellson draws on Norse mythology to explore conflicts that also play out within the human mind. Ancient stories become a way to consider the competing forces shaping the present.

Founded in 1991 by Bjørnson and Kjellson, Enslaved have built a career around allowing their music to evolve alongside their ideas. Following Utgard and Heimdal, Mið continues that conversation with the past while welcoming new participants. Its eight tracks reflect a band still willing to question its methods, trust its instincts, and make discovery part of the work itself.