Today, ENSLAVED are proud to release their latest avant-garde creation, Heimdal. Their breathtaking 16th studio album is both a departure and a communion with roots forged over three decades ago in the turbulent birth throes of Norway’s black metal scene. It’s a record that points towards new beginnings, and a dawn that’s on the other side of the apex of the land. Prepare for a psychedelic journey through arcane Norse folklore, to connect with one’s ancient ancestors and our future selves.
Enslaved’s Grutle Kjellson commented,
“After more than three decades, I still get excited when I hear Ivar’s demos; we may be older now, and as life has evolved are unable to spend as much time on music as we would like, but the song writing process for Enslaved hasn’t changed much. Ivar works on the seeds and shapes of songs, sends them to the rest of us, and we’ll form our own narratives – these phantom sketches eventually come to life and they speak to us, and hopefully they speak to our fans as well.
In my opinion, our band is even more creative, more experimental, more diverse and somehow more musical than when we started. I suppose one of the main reasons we continue as a band is that we have never reached a place where we bore ourselves. Our passion for telling stories, writing riffs, put words to them and exploring the human condition through music and myth, has only increased over the years and Heimdal is a reflection of who we are as artists, musicians and human beings in the year 2023.”
Enslaved have also revealed a masterly lyric video, created by Ingo Spörl, for album focus track ‘The Eternal Sea‘.
You can order/stream Heimdalhere: https://enslaved.bfan.link/heimdal.ema
ENSLAVED – ALBUM LAUNCH EVENT – TODAY:
HEIMHUG
03 March NO, Bergen – USF Verftet
Head to enslaved.no/Heimhug for more information.
HEIMDALtracklisting
01. Behind The Mirror
02. Congelia
03. Forest Dweller
04. Kingdom
05. The Eternal Sea
06. Caravans To The Outer Worlds
07. Gangandi (Bonus Track)*
08. Heimdal
Caravans to the Outer Worlds (Live from The Otherworldly Big Band Experience)
Watch the video here: https://youtu.be/sh7l0I3l2Fg
Heimdal was produced by Enslaved‘s own Ivar Bjørnson, Iver Sandøy and Grutle Kjellson. Mixing was handled by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios, and the final treatment was mastered by Tony Lindgren. The concept and lyrics for Heimdalwas, as always, developed by Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson in tandem.
The album was recorded primarily at Solslottet Studios in Bergen, which is owned by Iver Sandøy. Solslottet is a satellite of the well-known Duper Studios, where the drums were recorded and engineered by Iver himself, with assistance from Vegard Lemme. The main guitars, bass, pianos, organs, and vocals were also recorded at Solslottet. Arve ‘Ice Dale’ Isdal recorded his guitar leads at his own Earshot & Conclave Studios. The final touches and a few experimental ideas were added at the Overlook Hotel using Solslottet’s mobile studio rig. All music for Heimdal was written and demoed at Ivar Bjørnson’s own Crow’s Nest studio.
The record features psychedelic track ‘Caravans To The Outer Worlds‘ from last year’s EP of the same name. Albumbonus versions contain an extra track, ‘Gangandi‘, alongside a Blu-Ray copy of 2021’s stunning Otherworldly Big Band Experience streamed event – the band’s boldest project to date, featuring fellow Norwegian prog band Shaman Elephant. The kaleidoscopic stage show features a stellar setlist, covering Enslaved‘s career, both past and present.
ENSLAVED + INSOMNIUM
NORTH AMERICAN CO-HEADLINE TOUR 2023
w/ Black Anvil
05 April New York, NY – Irving Plaza
06 April Boston, MA – Big Night Live
07 April Montreal, QC – Corona Theatre
08 April Toronto, ON – The Opera House
10 April Detroit, MI – Saint Andrew’s Hall
11 April Chicago, IL – House Of Blues
12 April Minneapolis, MN – Varsity Theater
14 April Denver, CO – The Gothic Theatre
15 April Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
17 April Seattle, WA – The Crocodile
18 April Vancouver, BC – The Rickshaw
19 April Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theatre
21 April Berkeley, CA – The UC Theatre Taube Family Music Hall
22 April Los Angeles, CA – The Fonda Theatre
23 April Phoenix, AZ – Nile Theater
25 April Austin, TX – Come And Take It Live
26 April Dallas, TX – The Echo Lounge & Music Hall
28 April Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse
29 April Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre
30 April Baltimore, MD – Baltimore Soundstage
VIP tickets for NA shows available here: enslaved.soundrink.com
ENSLAVED – 2023 FESTIVAL SHOWS
13 May UK, London – Incineration Festival
05 Aug NO, Bergen – Beyond The Gates
10 Aug CZ, Jaroměř – Brutal Assault
12 Aug DE, Thüringen – Party.San
16-19 Aug UK, Bristol – ArcTanGent
06-07 Sep PO, Aleksandrów – Summer Dying Loud
10-11 Nov MX, Monterrey – Mexico Metal Fest
Never faltering, Norway’s iconic Enslaved continue to exist as one of the most original and dependable components in our scene’s indestructible backbone. Possessing the reputation as one of the most riveting live acts around, they never fail to offer us talent of the highest calibre, always doing justice to their signature black/progressive sound. Enslaved was formed in 1991 by Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson, releasing their first demo Yggdrasill in the summer of 1992, their legendary mini-album Hordanes Land coming out in 1993, and with their debut full-length Vikingligr Veldi arriving in the spring of 1994.
Enslaved in 2022 are a band in stellar form – a band at its most existentialist and self-conscious, proud Bergeners bearing the torch of their hometown’s extraordinary musical history. Their most recent material shows Enslaved at their most unleashed and thought-through – a lethal combination unfurling a potential that’s easily rekindling the furor of their early works while dancing gracefully through their most ambitious, most haunting and most musical tunes yet. A contradiction? Life itself is a contradiction. And yet we all live to prove it wrong.
Enslaved are:
Ivar Bjørnson | guitars
Grutle Kjellson | vocals
Arve ‘Ice Dale’ Isdal | guitar
Håkon Vinje | keyboards, clean vocals
Iver Sandøy | drums
Click image to watch the video
Metal Shock Finland (World Assault ) 