Norwegian Sognametal veterans VREID have just dropped the latest chapter of their ambitious new album and film project, ‘Wild North West,’ which is due on April 30. “Spikes of God” can be seen and heard at THIS LOCATION.
VREID songwriter and bass player Jarle Hváll Kvåle comments: “A new chapter from our album and movie ‘Wild North West’ is revealed, and it’s a vile and intense chapter. This song is absolutely one of the most brutal, dark and most in-your-face songs we have ever written. The main idea for this song came to me one dark night in March 2020. I became haunted by this theme and spent the whole night in studio finishing this track. Afterwards I have barely made any adjustments to the original demo for the song. I wanted its primal ugliness to shine through and let it live its life without any corrections. The movie for this song dives into a black hole of human history, and is an illustration of how far astray we can go if we are blinded by the faith of our own perfection.”
VREID has recently appeared on Norway’s TV2, the biggest commercial news station in the country! The clip spotlighted the band’s ‘Into the Mountains of Sognametal’ livestream, which attracted over 140,000 fans from all over the world when it premiered in June of 2020, as well as the band’s ambitious upcoming album and film. The TV2 news item can be seen HERE.
‘Wild North West’ is a concept album that developed alongside an entire movie. Inspired by both true events and pure imagination, the listener is taken on a whirlwind of a journey, diving deep into themes of war, fear, betrayal, loss, anxiety, and madness with thought-provoking lyrics that embody human nature. It captures the Nordic heart at the core of their sound, taking cues from Norway’s rugged landscape as it ricochets between eternal darkness and the solace of bracing light.
Pre-orders are available for ‘Wild North West’HERE.
The cover was created by Remi Juliebø (Deformat Design).
Tracklist: 1. Wild North West (05:23) 2. Wolves at Sea (05:14) 3. The Morning Red (05:42) 4. Shadows of Aurora (05:20) 5. Spikes of God (04:10) 6. Dazed and Reduced (04:55) 7. Into the Mountains (05:20) 8. Shadowland (09:53) Total: 0:49:23
Norwegian Sognametal veterans VREID have teamed up with Decibel Magazine to premiere the haunting video for their new song, “The Morning Red”. The track is taken from VREID‘s unique new album and accompanying film, ‘Wild North West,’ which will be released on April 30 via Season of Mist! Watch and listen at THIS LOCATION.
VREID comments on the film’s historic location: “The more than 100-year-old sanatorium lies completely isolated in the mountainside above the world’s longest fjord, Sognefjorden. Once built to shield people from infectious diseases and later the asylum of the wild northwest, it became our creative center during the pandemic. With the world closed down, we admitted ourselves to one of Scandinavia’s most mythical and majestic buildings to record the movie. The massive building has been abandoned for almost 30 years, and the harsh climate has taken its toll as the building are being consumed by nature day by day. The history and destinies that these roughed walls embrace are fascinating, vile and dark to say the least. And with Wild North West, we have become a part of this majestic white castle’s history.”
VREID has recently appeared on Norway’s TV2, the biggest commercial news station in the country! The clip spotlighted the band’s ‘Into the Mountains of Sognametal’ livestream, which attracted over 140,000 fans from all over the world when it premiered in June of 2020, as well as the band’s ambitious upcoming album and film. The TV2 news item can be seen HERE.
‘Wild North West’ is a concept album that developed alongside an entire movie. Inspired by both true events and pure imagination, the listener is taken on a whirlwind of a journey, diving deep into themes of war, fear, betrayal, loss, anxiety, and madness with thought-provoking lyrics that embody human nature. It captures the Nordic heart at the core of their sound, taking cues from Norway’s rugged landscape as it ricochets between eternal darkness and the solace of bracing light.
Pre-orders are available for ‘Wild North West’HERE.
The cover was created by Remi Juliebø (Deformat Design).
Tracklist: 1. Wild North West (05:23) 2. Wolves at Sea (05:14) 3. The Morning Red (05:42) 4. Shadows of Aurora (05:20) 5. Spikes of God (04:10) 6. Dazed and Reduced (04:55) 7. Into the Mountains (05:20) 8. Shadowland (09:53) Total: 0:49:23
Norwegian Sognametal veterans VREID have recently appeared on Norway’s TV2, the biggest commercial news station in the country! The clip spotlighted the band’s ‘Into the Mountains of Sognametal’ livestream, which attracted over 140,000 fans from all over the world when it premiered in June of 2020, as well as the band’s ambitious upcoming album and film. The TV2 news item can be seen HERE.
VREID’s unique new album and accompanying film, ‘Wild North West,’ will be released on April 30 via Season of Mist! The band recently shared official video for the title track, which can be seen and heard at THIS LOCATION.
‘Wild North West’ is a concept album that developed alongside an entire movie. Inspired by both true events and pure imagination, the listener is taken on a whirlwind of a journey, diving deep into themes of war, fear, betrayal, loss, anxiety, and madness with thought-provoking lyrics that embody human nature. It captures the Nordic heart at the core of their sound, taking cues from Norway’s rugged landscape as it ricochets between eternal darkness and the solace of bracing light.
Pre-orders are available for ‘Wild North West’HERE.
The album coverart was created by Remi Juliebø (Deformat Design)
Tracklist: 1. Wild North West (05:23) 2. Wolves at Sea (05:14) 3. The Morning Red (05:42) 4. Shadows of Aurora (05:20) 5. Spikes of God (04:10) 6. Dazed and Reduced (04:55) 7. Into the Mountains (05:20) 8. Shadowland (09:53) Total: 0:49:23
Norwegian blackened rock ‘n’ roll veterans VREID are now unveiling the title track from their upcoming opus, ‘Wild North West!’ The song is accompanied by a thought-provoking music video, which is the first installment of the band’s unique and ambitious movie project. Watch the first chapter at THIS LOCATION.
VREID songwriter and bass player Jarle Hváll Kvåle comments: “After being locked up in our own twisted little world for a long time, I am over the moon to finally be able to share the first chapter from our new album/movie with you all. This is the start of a journey that I don’t know where will lead us, but hey, isn’t that the point? Life is an everlasting march forward, so let’s see where it takes us. We kick it all off with the title track, a heavy and bombastic track that we can’t wait to unleash when we return to the stages worldwide. For now, enjoy the song, the movie and join us into the Wild North West.”
‘Wild North West’ is a concept album that developed alongside an entire movie. Inspired by both true events and pure imagination, the listener is taken on a whirlwind of a journey, diving deep into themes of war, fear, betrayal, loss, anxiety, and madness with thought-provoking lyrics that embody human nature. It captures the Nordic heart at the core of their sound, taking cues from Norway’s rugged landscape as it ricochets between eternal darkness and the solace of bracing light.
‘Wild North West’ will be released on April 30 via Season of Mist in various formats. Pre-orders are available HERE.
Tracklist: 1. Wild North West (05:23) 2. Wolves at Sea (05:14) 3. The Morning Red (05:42) 4. Shadows of Aurora (05:20) 5. Spikes of God (04:10) 6. Dazed and Reduced (04:55) 7. Into the Mountains (05:20) 8. Shadowland (09:53) Total: 0:49:23
The cover was created by Remi Juliebø (Deformat Design).
Norwegian Sognametal veterans VREID will be releasing their ninth full-length, ‘Wild North West,’ on April 30 via Season of Mist! The conceptual record will also feature a movie companion piece. Throughout eight chapters, the listener will be taken on a journey deep into the mountains, to a dark place where the borders between reality and fantasy fade and where death is only one step behind you: The Wild North West.
VREID songwriter and bass player Jarle Hváll Kvåle comments: “Ever since February 2020, we have been working like hell on this new project. The only short break was when we hosted the livestream from my mountain farm last summer. This project has become all-consuming, and the hours we put into it is just insane. Most of the music was written during winter/early spring least year, and lyrically I started to work on this concept story. Then, me and movie producer Håvard Nesbø who did the lyric videos for ‘Lifehunger’ and produced our livestream started talking about taking things further. I brought up this wild idea of doing a series of music videos, one for each song and then build these together as a movie. A movie that is the actual album. Håvard who has no limits on his lunacy jumped on board, and we never looked back.
“This became the most creative adventure I have ever worked on. The whole process of writing music, recording and mixing it, writing lyrics, making the script for the movie, the actual filming and editing it and working on the design all got tangled up in one twisted world, where all these elements influenced and colored each other. It’s given a whole new dimension to our art. The result is ‘Wild North West’. This as DIY as it gets, and it’s OUR story.
“With ‘Wild North West’ we have the whole legacy in our backpack, but with new adventures and visions fulfilled. From the most extreme and intense we have ever done to a heavy and melodic world where we open new doors. VREID‘s origin is rooted in the blend of the aggressive 80ies metal, the grooving 70ies heavy rock and the northern black metal of the 90ies. This is our DNA and this is the spirit of Sognametal.
“Welcome to the Wild North West.”
The cover for ‘Wild North West’ was created by Remi Juliebø (Deformat Design), can be found below along with the tracklist.
Tracklist: 1. Wild North West (05:23) 2. Wolves at Sea (05:14) 3. The Morning Red (05:42) 4. Shadows of Aurora (05:20) 5. Spikes of God (04:10) 6. Dazed and Reduced (04:55) 7. Into the Mountains (05:20) 8. Shadowland (09:53) Total: 0:49:23
From its tumultuous inception, the Norwegian metal scene has always been about pioneering. While embracing the illustrious black metal history as part of their musical heritage, the many iconic bands have now evolved in various directions. Leading the black ‘n roll movement in Norway, VREID are the perfect example of that. The band arose in 2004 from the ashes of WINDIR after the tragic perishing of Terje ‘Valfar’ Bakken. The Sognametal legends declared the mission of exploring new musical paths, which they have pushed to even greater heights on their new record ‘Wild North West’.
The ninth record is not just a collection of songs, but a concept album that developed alongside an entire movie. Throughout eight chapters you will be taken on a journey deep into the mountains, to a dark place where the borders between reality and fantasy fade and where death is only one step behind you: The Wild North West. Not just in sheer size of the project but also in terms of music videography, creativity, and determination, VREID have done something truly unique and lifted their art to a new dimension.
On the concept, founder and bass player Jarle Hváll Kvåle states: “Wild North West is a concept story about life itself and its eternal shadow: death. It is built around the world of our fictional character E, but it is surely inspired by my own life, my band’s life, historical events and many tales that have inspired me over the years. Is it a true story or fictional? I would have to say both, and sometimes is hard tell the difference.”
‘Wild North West’ features the most extreme and intense work of the band to date, as well as heavy and melodic rock songs. These influences have always been a part of VREID’s DNA, and it is this combination that makes up the spirit of Sognametal. A remarkable homage to that same musical spirit is the song “Into the Mountains”. The ideas for that track were written in 2002 by Jarle ‘Hváll’ Kvåle and Terje ‘Valfar’ Bakken (WINDIR). Inspired by these ideas, Hváll wrote the song and included the original demo keyboard tracks from 2002, recorded back then by Valfar.
VREID have always chosen a course of constant evolution that is marked by thematically denoted phases regarding their often historically inspired lyrics. This became particularly clear with albums ‘I Krig’ (2007) and ‘Milorg’ (2009), which both revolved around concepts dealing with resistance and liberation of Norway during World War II. With their following three records, the pitch black brigade returned to their Norse roots on ‘Sólverv’ which received high critical acclaim in 2015.
In 2018, the Norwegians teamed up with Season of Mist for their previous full-length ‘Lifehunger’, a record that successfully blended elements of 70’s rock, 80’s classic metal, and Norwegian black metal and which featured a remarkable guest contribution from SÓLSTAFIR’s vocalist Addi Tryggvason on the track “Hello Darkness”.
VREID have hammered out their success partly by being a heavily touring band. The four-piece performed more than 500 shows in 25 countries so far. Their everlasting march to conquer new territories has led the Norwegians to headline tours in Europe, North America, Japan, and India.
The band’s onward march did not come to a halt in 2020, a year that will go down as devastating for the international music scene. VREID launched their own beer, which turned out to be the biggest success of the Balder Brewery as the first batches were sold out immediately. Instead of waiting to be able to tour again, the Norwegians invited the fans to their home region and hosted a massive streaming concert among the beautiful mountainous surroundings of the Sognefjord. The concert, ‘Into the Mountains of Sognametal’ took place in June 2020 was viewed by over 140.000 people from more than 40 countries.
In 2021, VREID will once more invite the fans to their dark, cold, and wild universe but tread carefully as from these haunted mountains, no man can descend.
Recording studio: Studio 1184 & Nabolaget Studio Producer / sound engineer: Jarle Hváll Kvåle / Anders Nordengen Mixing studio and engineer: Jarle Hváll Kvåle / Helge Bentsen Mastering studio and engineer: Fascination Street by Tony Lindgren
Guest musicians: Terje ‘Valfar’ Bakken – Keys on “Into the Mountains” Espen Bakketeig – Additional keys on “Wolves at Sea”, “Dazed & Reduced”, “Shadowland” Eli, Helena, Anna – backing vocals on “Into the Mountains”
In the beginning of June, Norwegian hard rock icons VREID streamed a unique live performance that took place against the breathtaking backdrop of the mountains in their hometown of Sogndal, Norway. VREID played a classic set from their entire Sognametal history, including songs that have never been played live before as well as several WINDIR tracks. Vegard, the brother of late WINDIR vocalist Valfar, and former MISTUR vocalist Odne made a guest appearance during the concert. The live stream was an immense success with over 130,000 people viewers across the globe! Now, the band has released their entire ‘In the Mountains of Sognametal’ concert via Youtube. Watch the ‘In the Mountains of Sognametal’ concert HERE.
VREID songwriter and bass guitarist Jarle Hváll Kvåle comments: “It was such a unique experience. It was a moment where we embraced our entire legacy, and I am so proud of how it came together. It was organized with a true Sognametal spirit, in a strong DIY manner with help from our closest friends and family. The response to the stream was overwhelming and we hope that when this pandemic is over, we can invite the audience to watch a special concert in the same surroundings. That would be mind blowing.
“Launching the entire concert is also a kickstart to what is going to be the most intense and creative year in our lives. We are progressing with our new album and what an album it will be. Lets just say that we have been possessed with working on this record and can’t wait to release it in 2021. In conjunction with the album, we are also doing something completely new, a project that will give the music a new dimension.
“Furthermore, in a few weeks we have absolutely wild news for all of you that enjoy the Sognametal legacy. But first, we have opened the gates to our beloved mountain farm and made the ‘Into the Mountain’s of Sognametal’ concert available for all of you. Enjoy the show, spread it wherever you can and keep following us for some intense months to come. The march continues!”
In addition to the video, VREID reopened the concert scene in Oslo (NO) on August 15, 2020! The historic performance took place at the legendary Rockefeller venue and was the first show at the venue since the Covid-19 closure. The show sold out immediately.
VREID has also launched their very own signature beer, which has been crafted by the band’s guitarist Stian “Strom” Bakketeig and Balder Brewery.
Moreover, the band has finished material for the follow up to 2018’s ‘Lifehunger!’ The new record will be released via Season of Mist during the first half of 2021. The band is now in the studio and reports that the spirit in the band is stronger and darker than ever before. The Nordic flame burns stronger year by year!
‘Lifehunger,’ which was released in September 2018. Listen to the full album HERE.
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