Sixteen years have passed since Folk Prog Rockers LUMSK last released an album, but there’s good news for the band’s many fans, because on the 5th of May “Fremmede Toner”, the band’s fourth full-length album, is due to hit the streets on Dark Essence Records. 

The title, “Fremmede Toner”, which translated means “Foreign Tones” is taken from a collection of poems translated into Norwegian by the author André Bjerke. The poems featured include those by some of the most famous European and North American poets, such as Nietzsche, Goethe, Swinburne etc.

So far nothing too unusual you may be thinking, but this is where LUMSK take the concept one step further, because, after having composed the music using the Norwegian version of the poems, the band then take those compositions and adapt them to the poems in the original language itself, as they explain:

Not long after the release of «Det Vilde Kor» back in 2007 we somehow stumbled upon a collection of poems by Norwegian Author André Bjerke. In this book, entitled «Fremmde Toner», Bjerke has translated and re-created poems from different English and German speaking poets. When we read those translations and re-creations an idea started to form. We wanted not only to write music to the Norwegian poems, but also write songs to the original poems. The idea of the concept was not only to make the same songs twice, but to make the songs mirror each other in a way, trying to somehow recreate the idea of a translation or re-creation. As with the poems the songs are not the same, but still familiar.
 
So, finally, after over 15 years, we are ready to present this work. The album, named «Fremmede Toner», consists of twelve songs, or 6 pairs. First you have the Norwegian poems, and afterwards you have the poems in their original form. Even though it has taken us 15 years to release this new album, we have not been working on it continuously over these years. It wasn´t until we completed our line-up with a new vocalist, Mari Klingen, and a new guitarist, Roar Grindheim, that things really started to happen. We are so happy to once again be able to release new music, and are excited to see how it will resonate with old and new listeners.
 
We really would like to thank those of you who patiently have waited and asked for news from us. The support from different places around the world have been important and moving to witness. It makes the enormous effort behind this album worth it in every way. We hope you will enjoy the album and the concept. It might be strange to hear Lumsk in German and English, but we are really satisfied with the result.

This concept is also reflected on the album cover by Per Spjøtvold, someone with whom the band has worked since the beginning, and, with mixing by Rhys Marsh at Autumnsongs Recordings, and Mastering by Arnstein Fossvik at AudioMaster, the track listing on “Fremmede Toner” is as follows:

1. Det Døde Barn
2. En Harmoni
3. Avskjed
4. Under Linden
5. Fiolen
6. Dagen er Endt
7. Das Tode Kind
8. A Match
9. Abschied
10. Under der Linden
11. Da Veilschen
12. The Day is Done

“Fremmede Toner” is actually the first album on which LUMSK perform songs in a foreign language,  whilst musically it continues along the path that has earned the band considerable international recognition. Thanks to their unique blend of metal and Nordic folk music, bound together with rich textures and clever arrangement, “Fremmede Toner” delivers LUMSK’s most varied and intriguing work to date.

“Fremmede Toner” will be released in CD, Double LP and Digital formats and is now available to pre-order from the following

BandCamp:  https://lumsk.bandcamp.com/album/fremmede-toner
Webshop:  https://darkessencerecords.no/kar215-lumsk-fremmede-toner/
US Webshop:  https://darkessence.indiemerch.com/

Formed in 1999 In Trondheim, Norway, it can be argued that LUMSK was likely one of the first bands to have been “built for folk” from the ground up. With their heavy guitars, keyboard and organs, violins, session horns and female vocals, LUMSK was one of the many bands who, towards the end of the 20th Century, were exploring the concept of regional folk traditions. This led to a growing interest amongst metal fans and the creation of a sub-genre all of its own.

Having undergone a number of changes over the years, LUMSK’s seven-piece lineup today includes Mari Klingen on Vocals, Siv Lena Laugtug Sæther on Violin, Eystein Garberg on Guitar, Roar Grindheim on  Guitar, Espen Warankov Godø on Keyboards, Espen Hammer on Bass, and Vidar Berg on Drums.

More information about LUMSK can be found on the band’s Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/lumskmusic

A video for the track “Trolltind” from LUMSK’s 2005 album “Troll” can be seen below.