Norway's avantgarde metal heroes ENSLAVED release their new album "Utgard" in fall 2020. Today, the band already reveals new details about the upcoming record that dives the listener deep into the world 'between' as the musicians explain: "'Utgard' bears countless meanings to us; an image, metaphor, an esoteric 'location', a word on its own etc – on different levels and layers. From Norse mythology we know it as a landscape were the giants roam; where the gods of Asgard have no control; dangerous, chaotic, uncontrollable and where madness, creativeness, humor and chaos dwells. The album is a journey into and through 'Utgard'. It is a place of unification of that which is above and that which lies below. It is not about avoiding fear of the pitch-black darkness (it will keep on growing until the next confrontation), but to go into the darkness itself. This is the rebirth of the individual. In a world that has become so obsessed with the false lights of greed, jealousy and egotism this is a necessary journey.
'Utgard' is not a fairytale, it is a vital part of both your mind and your surroundings, and it has been since the dawn of mankind. Acknowledging that this realm exists and is a vital part of the self, has inspired us deeply since the early days of our lives. Enjoy our journey to the outer limits."
The tracklist of "Utgard" reads as follows.
1. Fires In The Dark 2. Jettegryta 3. Sequence 4. Homebound 5. Utgardr 6. Urjotun 7. Flight Of Thought And Memory 8. Storms Of Utgard 9. Distant Seasons
Last week, the band headlined the Verftet online music festival in USF, Bergen, on April 1st. The online event was streamed via http://www.bt.no
Find the video of ENSLAVED's gig until April, 22nd, here:
Singer Grutle Kjellson about this unusual gig: "Desperate times calls for desperate measures! That’s what they say right? And desperate times it is indeed. For the whole music scene worldwide, this pandemic is turning everything upside down. Basically everything has either been cancelled or postponed. It’s been shut down, the lights are out... So, when we were given the opportunity to participate on the USF Verftet Online music festival, we didn’t hesitate at all. Being able to play a full concert with great production in times like this, seemed totally utopic only a few days back. It took a while to get used to the idea of playing a show completely without audience, as an audience are obviously feeding the performer(s) with energy and vice versa. And, it was, let’s admit it, weird to experience the roaring silence that occurred after each song! It pretty much punched us off guard right in our faces more than once during the performance. Still, it felt great to have been given the privilege to perform for our fans worldwide under these circumstances and the response afterwards has been nothing but amazing. Thanks to local music entrepreneur Mikal Telle, USF Verftet and local and regional sponsors for making this happen. And last but not least, thanks to everybody for watching! We hope to see on a “ regular” show ASAP! Stay strong!”
The history of heavy music is littered with the corpses of bands that had neither the stamina nor the creativity to stay the course. Over the course of more than 25 years, Enslaved have proved themselves to be among the most prodigious and original artists of the modern age.
Formed in Bergen, Norway, in 1991, Enslaved followed their own singular path from the very start. As they emerged from the nascent Norwegian black metal scene of the early ‘90s, guitarist Ivar Bjornson and vocalist/bassist Grutle Kjellson exhibited a uniquely eccentric approach to making extreme music.
Adventurous and progressive where many of their peers were insular and restrained, Enslaved’s reputation grew rapidly in the wake of extraordinary, epic albums like their debut Vikingligr Veldi and its strident follow-up Frost (both 1994). By the late ‘90s, the band had morphed into a much more ingenious and ground-breaking beast: always retaining that essential link to their extremist roots but fearless in their pursuit of new ways to express their wildest ideas.
Routinely acclaimed as a powerful and ferocious live band, Enslaved entered the 21st century by flexing new muscles on the acclaimed likes of 2003’s Below The Lights and its groundbreaking successor, Isa (2004) – for which the band won a Norwegian Grammy award. Increasingly admired in the prog rock world while never losing that all-important bedrock of metalhead support, Bergen’s finest hit a rich vein of form as the years passed, with albums like 2008’s post-rock-fuelled Vertebrae and 2010’s elegant and grandiloquent Axioma Ethica Odini gleefully redesigned the Enslaved musical universe.
In 2015, Enslaved released their 13th studio album, In Times. A tour-de-force of hypnotic prog intensity and scabrous, blackened pomp, it exuded an air of completion and finality that led perfectly into 2016’s extravagant celebrations, as Enslaved marked their 25th anniversary with some truly life-changing shows that explored all shadows and hidden corners in the band’s colossal catalogue. Two years later, they released the universally praised E: a typically bold and fearless statement from this most inventive of modern metal bands and a thrilling sideways step that harnessed the spirit of old and set it loose in a whirlwind of stormy imagination. Universally praised, it duly earned Enslaved their fifth Norwegian Grammy win.
Since the release of E, Enslaved have been dedicated to spreading their gospel of musical fearlessness around the world. They once again conquered Europe and North America during late 2017 and early 2018, and will be performing at festivals throughout the summer, including appearances at CopenHell, Wacken Open Air, Hellfest, Beyond The Gates and Psycho Las Vegas. Determined to keep everyone happy, they will also be hitting Australia and Japan for a handful of dates in the autumn, with further plans to explore more of the planet in the very near future.
DISCOGRAPHY
Vikingligr veldi - 1994 Frost - 1994 Eld - 1997 Blodhemn - 1998 Mardraum: Beyond the Within - 2000 Monumension - 2001 Below the Lights - 2003 Isa - 2004 Ruun - 2006 Vertebrae - 2008 Axioma Ethica Odini - 2010 Riitiir - 2012 In Times - 2015 E - 2017 Utgard - 2020
