After what must be considered a very successful tour, which has garnered panegyric reviews across the nation, Gåte now mark the end of the year with a new edit of one of their most soulful songs from the Vandrar EP.
The song “Førnesbrunen” is a song with a very special story.
The backdrop of the lyrics is the old Norwegian saga of “Førnesbrunen” which roots back to the 1340s and the years of the Black Death.
Førnesbrunen was a large, strong, and exceptionally wise horse who owner was tasked to transported the dead from their secluded village and through the mountains to consecrated ground. The road was long and rugged, and Førnesbrunen made many trips. Eventually Førnesbrunen´s master, the village´s last survivor, also fell ill and died by the plague.
As such Førnesbrunen embarked on his final journey over the mountains. It was amid the harshest of winters and a terrible storm was raging, but Førnesbrunen stayed true to his cause and managed to find his way.
When the horse met his final destination he was met by two men prepared to collect the deceased. They patted Førnesbrunen on the back signaling him to go back to the village, but Førnesbrunen refused to leave. He knew the village was home for nothing except from death, but the men did not understand and sent him off anyway.
Soon the men heard terrible neighs from the mountains and realized that something was off. They followed the horse tracks and eventually found the once powerful horse wounded surrendering to death under the weight of all the loss and pain he has seen.
However hard they tried Førnesbrunen could not be helped, and soon he followed his master and left this mortal coil.
After a successful venture into an acoustic soundscape GÅTE return to their full level of folk-rock with five wonderful and epic songs featured on an EP called Vandrar.
Vandrar consists of catchy, convincing and magnetic folk, which lures the listener in and drags you into a seductive soundscape where folk music plays on rock’s premises.
Gåte recently announced that one of the band’s original members, Sveinung Sundli, is no longer involved, which has also affected the completion of the EP, but Gåte’s strong foundation and unique sound lives on to the highest degree, and the band in 2023 is super-motivated and ready-to-play! They are looking forward to releasing new music and going on tour this autumn.
“As a band, we are really looking forward to moving forward, and are not too concerned with defining what Gåte should be or not be”, vocalist Gunnhild.
“We think that Gåte can accomplish a lot, and play with a lot of references, without making the foundation the band is built on or our history obsolete”she continues.
About working with lyricist Erlend Skjetne.
“I first got to know Erlend Skjetne when I read his book “Skare” and immediately thought that it would be exciting to work with him. Fortunately, the interest was mutual! We share the same fascination for folkloristics, and this is a collaboration I’m looking forward to continue”concludes Gunnhild.
As well as releasing a brand new EP, Gåte are also going on tour in Norway and Danmark
ABOUT Gåte have gained a massive audience in their home country Norway with their unique folk/trad take on rock, and triumphant live shows. They have managed to create stunning music in the meeting point of pagan, folk, traditional and rock/metal. Their next release includes new and old tracks in a dark, mesmerizing new acoustic format as a trio version of the band. The dark and Nordic atmosphere Gåte presents is for fans of Wardruna, Heilung and Myrkur.
Gåte’s latest released Nord (Dec 2021) featured a stripped down and more acoustic Gåte, than the vigorous and forcefull folk rock fans and critics have come to expect. The feedback on Nord was great and several songs from were listed on Spotify’s editorial Nordic Folk, NMF-N and Wardrunas Northern Echos, which gave the release great feedback from the nordic folk/viking scene online.
After a successful venture into an acoustic soundscape with their critically acclaimed album Nord, GÅTE now return to the full-blown folk-rock they are known for. The return to their full-scale soundscape is marked with no less than two brand new songs. The different, but also complementary singles ‘Svarteboka’ and ‘Skarvane’ are released today, May 23rd.
With these releases, Gåte delivers catchy, convincing and magnetic folk, which lures the listener in and drags you into a seductive soundscape where folk music plays on rock’s premises.
On Svarteboka, Gåte are joined by labelmates Djerv.
The result is an epic meeting between Norway’s two most iconic female metal and rock vocalists – Gunnhild Sundli and Agnete Kjølsrud.
Together, they have created nothing less than a monumental song where two of the true vanguards of the scene are given free space to challenge each other.
As two of the strongest Norwegian female vocalists of our generation, Gunnhild and Agnete have known of and admired each other for a long time. When they finally met at a wedding in 2022, the idea of a future collaboration manifested immediately.
Already in the early winter of 2023, Gåte sent a draft to Djerv, who jumped on the chance to contribute. From that point on things developed fast.
Even though Agnete and Gunnhild were located on opposite sides of the country, working on the song together came very naturally for the two of them who soon figured out how the material could be further developed and adapted to each of their unique vocals.
Being a female front vocalist for a metal/rock band is sadly still something of an exception in 2023 and both Gunnhild and Agnete have felt a sense of alienation and isolation, of standing out in the crowd – on Svarteboka they stand together.
Compared to Svarteboka, Skarvane is something quite different, but still unmistakably a Gåte track. Here, Gåte has granted themselves even more freedom to experiment with genre and sound, and has made a song that challenges both the folk rock scene and Gåte’s audience.
As a band, Gåte has always represented a breaking point between the traditional and the modern, a meeting place between past and present. This also requires a curiosity and a willingness to push yourself to explore new soundscapes and play around with elements from other genres.
This is eagerness to explore and push boundaries is evident on Skarvane, where Gåte exhibits new sides of themselves, and daringly implement and toy around with new sonic elements.
As such, Skarvane is not only a sign of what Gåte can accomplish, but also an indication of what we might expect in the future.
GÅTE: Gåte had a national breakthrough in the early 2000 with their captivating performances and groundbreaking mix of traditional folk and modern rock. With an immense respect for folk music and unparalleled talent, Gåte managed to interpret and convey traditional folk songs to a whole new generation of listeners.
The band continues to find inspiration in the vast traditional music history both Norway and Europe have to offer. The result is painstakingly beautiful and emotive collection of songs delving deep into the musical past, with a contemporary approach.
DJERV: Djerv entered the international metal-scene with a blast in 2011 with an impressive, self-titled album engineered by Daniel Bergstrand (Meshuggah, In Flames) and mixed by Matt Hyde (Deftones, No Doubt) Djerv quickly established themselves as a name in the scene performing at festivals like Hellfest (FR), Wacken (DE), Eurosonic (NL), Tons of Rock (NO) Rock Hartz (DE) and Inferno (NO). The band has contributed on memorable collaborations like Dimmu Borgir’s “Gateways”, and the track “Get Jinxed”, which was released through League of Legends/Riot games.
Norwegian alternative folk outfit GÅTE release their new single and music video “Svik” today! Listen to the single here https://orcd.co/svik, or watch the music video HERE!
“Svik” is a beautiful and bold tune that features Gåte at their boldest and most daring, unafraid to play with tempo, composition, and expression. The result is one hell of a track that ties all of Gåte’s strengths into one uncompromising tune. It is the story of a man, who tormented by his past becomes his own worst enemy. Of how the intoxicating path of revenge often leads to the devastating ruins of remorse, of how our anxieties and traumas hunt us, and in many ways also shape who we are.
The music video following the single is directed by Gunnhild Sundli herself. As she states: “Through the work with the music video, I have been able to give life to the atmosphere and the images I have in my head when I sing ‘Svik'”.
The music video for “Svik” has been exclusively premiered via Metal Hammer UK!
“Svik” is the second single off their upcoming album “Nord”, to be released on Dec 3 via Indie Recordings.
“Nord” is the full-length follow up of their critically acclaimed EP Til Nord (April 2021) and marks the conclusion of Gåte as an acoustic outfit. On “Nord”, the band has really taken a step back to fully explore their musical potential and expression through a more traditional and acoustic perspective. And though there definitely is something simple and clean about Nord, the power in the courageously heartfelt, raw, and epic soundscape Gåte manages to create seems even more present and complex than ever before.
Nord will be released through Indie Recordings December 3rd 2021.
Gåte had a national breakthrough in the early 2000s with their captivating performances and groundbreaking mix of traditional folk and modern rock. With an immense respect for folk music and unparalleled talent, Gåte managed to interpret and convey traditional folk songs to a whole new generation of listeners. In 2020, the band chose to go back to their roots and dive into the vast traditional music history Norway has to offer. The result is painstakingly beautiful and emotive collection of songs delving deep into the musical past of their country, with a contemporary approach.
Proving yet again that great music and great art endures.
Gunnhild Sundli: Vocals and violin Magnus Børmark: Guitar, vocals, percussion Sveinung Sundli: Hardanger fiddle, organ, vocals and percussion Jon Even Schærer: Percussion and vocals
Gåte – ‘Svik’ credits:
Music video director: Gunnhild Sundli Movie by Valkyrien Productions: Arne Stoltenberg and Toni Kotka Halling dancer/actor: Håkon Håvelsrud Odden Actress: Gunnhild Sundli Costumes: Inger Hallström Stinnerbom
Music composed and arranged by Sveinung Sundli og Jon Even Schärer Music engineered by Magnus Børmark Lyrics by Nora Eklo
Norwegian Folk Rockers GÅTE release their new music video“Hemnarsverdet”. Hemnarsverdet is an old Norwegian folk tale hailing from the region of Telemark. It is a story about a personal vendetta, blood revenge and the fatal consequences of these motifs. Watch the music video HERE!
A stranger arrives at a gathering of people with a serious errand. He’s looking for the man who took the life of his father. Faced with his father’s murderer the stranger begs his sword for aid in his lethal mission. The sword answers that it must be forged and made much stronger first. When this is done, the stranger swings the sword and kills – not only the murderer, but also all the others present including an infant. Making the stranger beg the sword to stop in the name of God. The sword stops and says that if he had not mentioned God’s name, the stranger himself would have been killed.
The fact that the sword seemingly acts of its own free will and kills relentlessly, is a telling expression of how much damage blood revenge could cause, and that only the word of God has the power to put an end to this savagery.
Gåtes song is based on a written version of this tale from 1853.
In the video the stranger seeking revenge is dressed in black, while the murderer is dressed in white. Soon a battle commences between the two men, starting off with Halling, a traditional Norwegian folk dance, before they fight to death.
Though the deadly outcome of the dance may seem farfetched in this day and age, the reality was quite different back when Hemnarsverdet was sung far and wide.
In fact, in the 18th century more than 50 killings were recorded as a result of battels between Halling dancers. Which may also explain why some of the songs from this era also depicts Halling and Halling music as sinful and dangerous activities, where you were likely to be lured into sinful actions or alliances with the Devil.
With “Til Nord”, Gåte deliver an emotive and epic collection of tracks, revisiting some of their own classics and adding a new track as a taste of great things to come. They are delving even deeper into the musical past of their country, with a contemporary approach.
The single is a modern take on a medieval ballade which has been song in Norway for centuries.
In the ballade of Rideboll and Gullborg the King is informed that his daughter has escaped with a suitor named Rideboll, and the King gathers his men to pursue them. As they catch up with Rideboll a battle commence in which Rideboll kills both the King, the man Gullborg was promised to, and seven of the King’s sons.
At the end of the battle Gullborg calls Rideboll’s name, causing Rideboll to suffer a fatal hit. Severely wounded, Rideboll travel home with Gullborg and they both die shortly afterwards. Rideboll by his injuries and Gullborg by sorrow.
The implication that Rideboll dies because Gullborg shouts his name, is fundamental to the narrative and categorizes the ballad as one of the supernatural folk songs conveying the old Norse belief that names bear great meaning and mythical powers.
The upcoming EP Til Nord feature a cleaner and more traditional sound from Gåte.
The band, who had a national breakthrough in the early 2000 with their captivating performances and groundbreaking mix of traditional folk and modern rock, has chosen to go back to their roots and dive into the vast traditional music history Norway has to offer. The result is painstakingly beautiful.
With an immense respect for folk music and unparalleled talent Gåte manages to interpret and convey traditional folk songs to a whole new generation of listeners. Proving yet again that great music and great art endures.
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