Dark Essence Records have today revealed details, including the artwork and track-listing, for “De Gjenlevende”, the upcoming album from Norwegian Black-Folk Metallers GALAR.   Mixed and recorded at Bergen’s Conclave and Earshot Studio by producer and VULTURE INDUSTRIES frontman Bjørnar E. Nilsen, “De Gjenlevende” (The Bereaved) is a follow up to 2010’s “Til Alle Heimsens Endar”,  and will be GALAR’s third-full length album.  Artwork for the album is by  Robert Høyem of graphic designers Overhaus.

“De Gjenlevende”  sees GALAR’s founders M. Kristiansen (screams, guitars and bass) and A. B. Lauritzen (clean vocals, bassoon and grand piano) and drummer Phobos (AETERNUS, GRAVDAL, MALSAIN), joined by several session musicians that include both a string quintet and a horn quartet which fit in with the epic nature of the material, both musical and lyrical, that has been created for the six-track, concept album.  Entirely written in Norwegian, the title track itself will be an instrumental, whilst the other tracks are longer, and more epic than previous work by the band.

Jorge Scholz, the band’s lyricist, recently briefly explained the concept behind the album, which draws its inspiration from Pan-European folklore, ontology, and elegies.   “Its five contemplative texts tell of the utter dreadfulness that haunts both the human mind and body when the season of winter holds every living thing in its grasp. Winter is the time of utter gloom, enfeeblement and inescapable death, which challenges mankind, beasts and plants equally. Yet, as long as there is life, there is hope, and eventually a new era of the Sun will bring to an end the seemingly eternal darkness of winter.  With the arrival of spring hope and life will flourish once more.  It is a portrayal of this cyclical process of transformation that is as old as the history of mankind itself”.  Fans worried about not understanding the Norwegian lyrics need have no concerns, as the album comes with an explanatory booklet.

Track listing for  “De Gjenlevende”, whose estimated date of release is the 20th October,  is as follows:

1. De gjenlevende
2. Natt … og taust et forglemt liv
3. Bøkens hymne
4. Ljós
5. Gjeternes tunge steg
6. Tusen kall til solsang ny

GALAR recently recruited drummer Tomas Myklebust (ex-EMANCER, live session drums with VULTURE INDUSTRIES and VRIED), and he joins Kristiansen and A. B. Lauritzen  as a full-time member of the band.

More information about GALAR can be found on the band’s website at http://www.galar.no/  or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/galarofficial

Four tracks from GALAR can be heard at

Fan-filmed footage of GALAR performing the track “Ingen Siger Vart Vunnin” at the Phantoms of Pilsen Festival in 2011 can be seen at

ADDITIONAL DETAILS
Galar Website: http://www.galar.no/
Galar Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/galarofficial
Galar SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/galarofficial
Galar YouTube: www.youtube.com/galarofficial
Galar Webshop: http://galar.bigcartel.com/
Galar MySpace: www.myspace.com/galarmetal

According to Patricia Thomas Management, Having signed with Dark Essence Records for a further two albums, Norwegian Black-Folk Metallers GALAR have been ensconced in Bergen’s Conclave and Earshot Studios with Producer Bjørnar E. Nilsen (VULTURE INDUSTRIES, BLACK HOLE GENERATOR) working on the bands third full-length album which will be titled “De Gjenlevende” (The Bereaved) and which is set for release in early 2014.  Drummer Phobos (AETERNUS, GRAVDAL, MALSAIN) has now finished laying down the drum tracks and the band will take a short break from the studio until October.  A video from the drum sessions can be seen on GALAR’s YouTube channel below:

A follow up to 2010’s “Til Alle Heimsens Endar”,  the lineup on the album will  once again include GALAR’s two core members of M. Kristiansen on screams, guitars and bass and A. B. Lauritzen on clean vocals, bassoon and grand piano, with Phobos on drums. They will be joined by a series of session musicians that include both a string quintet and a horn quartet in keeping with the epic material the band has produced for the album both musically and lyrically.  Consisting of six tracks, one of which will be an instrumental, “De Gjenlevende” is a concept album and, according to GALAR, the songs will be longer, and more epic, than previously. Written entirely in Norwegian, “De Gjenlevende” will come with an explanatory booklet.

Jorge Scholz, the band’s lyricist, recently briefly explained the concept behind the album, which draws its inspiration from Pan-European folklore, ontology, and elegies.   “Its five contemplative texts tell of the utter dreadfulness that haunts both the human mind and body when the season of winter holds every living thing in its grasp. Winter is the time of utter gloom, enfeeblement and inescapable death, which challenges mankind, beasts and plants equally. Yet, as long as there is life, there is hope, and eventually a new era of the Sun will bring to an end the seemingly eternal darkness of winter.  With the arrival of spring hope and life will flourish once more.  It is a portrayal of this cyclical process of transformation that is as old as the history of mankind itself”.

More information about GALAR can be found on the band’s website at http://www.galar.no/  or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/galarofficial

Four tracks from GALAR can be heard below:

The video of the drum sessions from “De Gjenlevende” can be seen here:

Fan-filmed footage of GALAR performing the track “Ingen Siger Vart Vunnin” at the Phantoms of Pilsen Festival in 2011 can be seen below:

The DARK ESSENCE RECORDS SoundCloud player contains tracks from all the label’s releases and can be found here: