Tag Archives: Enslaved

ENSLAVED Release New Single “Forest Dweller”

New Album “Heimdal” Out March 3rd 2023

Enslaved have released a new single and video from Heimdal, their 16th studio album due out on March 3rd 2023. Forest Dweller‘ launches with progressive splendor, guiding the listener into a churning, psychedelic journey through archaic Norse folklore. One might ask what lessons we can divine from our celestial ancestors? We might never understand their true intentions, but their echo will live on regardless.

Enslaved’s Grutle Kjellson commented,

“To me ‘Forest Dweller’ was the most immediate song on the album, at least in its earliest form as an instrumental demo. I spent quite some time to get into some of the other songs of the album, but this one seemed somehow logical, well logical by Enslaved standards that is. I had an idea for a lyric, and Ivar’s amazing and diverse riffs on this one made it easy to pan out the scripture. I made a rough plan on what to sing over it, and we actually ended up using some parts of those recordings on the album!

The song sort of showcases our representative samples of inspiration: Led Zep, Genesis, Destruction, Iron Maiden and David Bowie, to mention a schizophrenic tapestry of influences. It mirrors in the lyrics as well, which deals about both darkness and light in connection to the nature of Heimdal.”

Heimdal, 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. The record is named after Heimdal,arguably the most mysterious entity in Nordic mythology.

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’sstunning Otherworldly Big Band Experience streamed event – the band’sboldest 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. 

Heimdal tracklisting
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

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 Yggdrasillin 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 area 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

ENSLAVED Release “Caravans To The Outer Worlds” Live Video/Single

Left-field metal luminaries Enslaved have revealed a single and video for ‘Caravans to the Outer Worlds (Live from The Otherworldly Big Band Experience)‘. The track, which comes from their forthcoming new studio album Heimdal (out March 3rd), as well as last year’s EP of the same name, sees an innovative, alternative live recording and stellar presentation of the song, with nuanced accompaniment from fellow psychedelic Norwegian prog band Shaman Elephant.

This extraordinary performance took place one year ago, on last year’s Winter Solstice, via the streaming event The Otherworldly Big Band Experience.

Heimdal album bonus versions will contain an extra track, ‘Gangandi‘, alongside a Blu-Ray copy of The Otherworldly Big Band Experience. This streamed event was the band’s boldest project to date. The kaleidoscopic stage show features a spectacular setlist, covering Enslaved‘s career, both past and present, and several tracks never previously performed live. 

Grutle Kjellson commented,
“Caravans To The Outer Worlds’ was the first material written for our upcoming album, and that first song usually points in a certain direction. However, this song points in several directions, and that really made the whole process immensely interesting, and ultimately pushed us making our best album ever!
This live-version, taken from ‘The Otherworldly Big Band Experience’, our last big project keeping us alive during the pandemic, is the first of hopefully many opportunities to behold a performance of this energetic song. We hope you’ll enjoy it. God Jól!”

Enslaved‘s 16th studio album, Heimdal, will be released on March 3rd 2023, via Nuclear Blast Records. 

You can pre-order Heimdal here: https://enslaved.bfan.link/heimdal.ema


Heimdal tracklisting
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

Heimdal, 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. The record is named after Heimdalarguably the most mysterious entity in Nordic mythology.

ENSLAVED Announce Co-Headline North American Tour With INSOMNIUM

Enslaved are pleased to announce a month-long, North American co-headline tour with Insomnium. The run will take place in April 2023, shortly after the release of Enslaved‘s new studio album, Heimdal, out March 3rd. Support on the road will come from Black Anvil

Ivar Bjørnson commented,
“Neither you nor we will BELIEVE how much we are looking forward to coming back to the US of A and Canada in April 2023! We have a new album (and more if you want to be technical), ‘Heimdal’, to show you – spoiler alert: it will lay venues waste. Yes, we are that confident. We also have some rather cosmically awesome (!) bands joining the trek in co-headliners Insomnium and support Black Anvil – how could this become anything but the most spectacular event of 2023?”

Tickets will go on-sale Friday December 16th @ 10am (local time) via the below links.

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


ENSLAVED – 2023 FESTIVAL SHOWS
03 Feb 2023   DK,  Fredericia – Winter Metal Magic
13 May 2023   UK, London – Incineration Festival
10-11 Nov 2023   MX, Monterrey – Mexico Metal Fest

But Enslaved have even more planned for 2023, including festival show dates, and a unique album release event in their home city of Bergen, Norway. Named Heimhug, the evening will feature an extended Enslaved live set with guests, and very special guest Jo Quail.

03 March 2023
Bergen, Norway @ USF Verftet  
HEIMHUG – an Enslaved Heimdal album release event 
Tickets available HERE 
Please head to enslaved.no/Heimhug and see the poster below for more information.

Grutle Kjellson commented,
“Sometimes the answers and the truths lie under your very nose, or where the journey starts, where you first set sail towards horizons unknown. This was very much the case when we started working on “Heimdal”; we stepped back and looked a bit inwards and also at our immediate surroundings, at the area we hail from and where we still dwell today; Hordaland. On these shores people have been living and dying, worshiping and crying, laughing and lying ever since the Stone Age. History has been written here, history will still be written here and we will continue to dwell here until the end of our days.
Built around this historical narrative, “Heimdal” was created, and on the 3rd of March 2023 we would like to invite you to celebrate the album release with us and pay homage to our history. 
 
Under the “Heimhug”-banner, we’re gonna perform a two-set release concert at USF Bergen with very special guests, we’ll have an art exhibition with the specific photographs and drawings we used for the artwork on the album and also an exclusive showing of last year’s “The Otherworldly BigBand experience”. 
 
See you in Bergen in March! 
Alu Alu Laukar!”

Enslaved‘s16th studio album, Heimdal, will be released on March 3rd 2023, via Nuclear Blast Records. 

You can pre-order Heimdal here: https://enslaved.bfan.link/heimdal.ema

Heimdal tracklisting
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

Heimdal, 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. The record is named after Heimdal,arguably the most mysterious entity in Nordic mythology.

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’sstunning Otherworldly Big Band Experience streamed event – the band’sboldest 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. 

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 Yggdrasillin 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 area 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

Insomnium debuts new single/video, “White Christ” – feat. Sakis Tolis (Rotting Christ)

Announces North American co-headlining tour with Enslaved

On February 24th, Finnish metal melancholists Insomnium will release their ninth full-length, Anno 1696, via Century Media Records. Based on a short story by Niilo Sevänen (bass/vocals), Anno 1696 is woven with sorrow and the last crumbling vestiges of hope. For a preview of this upcoming album, the new single, “White Christ” (feat. Rotting Christ‘s Sakis Tolis) can be streamed now here, and the video (directed by Riivata) can be viewed here:

Guitarist Markus Vanhala comments about the track: “Heavy & hypnotic! A very Rotting Christ-influenced song, and it was insane that in the end Sakis of Rotting Christ ended up being featured on the song as a vocalist. Can’t wait to see people raise their fists at concerts for this banger.”

Bassist/vocalist Niilo Sevänen adds: “This is Markus Vanhala’s composition and maybe the heaviest song on the album. Great to have Sakis from Rotting Christ on this track too. Lyrically it is about the mindset of the main antagonist of the story and the religious fervor.”

Guitarist Ville Friman concludes: “A really catchy and heavy song. Also a new type of Insomnium song we have not had before on any previous albums.”

Soon after Anno 1696‘s release, Insomnium will return to North America for a co-headlining tour with Enslaved, plus Black Anvil as support. See below for all dates! Tickets will go on sale Friday (Dec. 16th) at 10AM local time. Tickets and VIP upgrades are available from: www.insomnium.net/tour 

Insomnium + Enslaved Co-headline Tour 2023 w/ Black Anvil

Apr. 5, 2023 – New York, NY @ Irving Plaza

Apr. 6, 2023 – Boston, MA @ Big Night Live

Apr. 7, 2023 – Montreal, QC @ Corona Theater

Apr. 8, 2023 – Toronto, ON @ The Opera House

Apr. 10, 2023 – Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew’s Hall

Apr. 11, 2023 – Chicago, IL @ House of Blues

Apr. 12, 2023 – Minneapolis, MN @ Varsity Theater

Apr. 14, 2023 – Denver, CO @ The Gothic Theatre

Apr. 15, 2023 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex

Apr. 17, 2023 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile

Apr. 18, 2023 – Vancouver, BC @ The Rickshaw

Apr. 19, 2023 – Portland, OR @ Hawthorne Theatre

Apr. 21, 2023 – Berkeley, CA @ The UC Theater Taube Family Music Hall

Apr. 22, 2023 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theatre

Apr. 23, 2023 – Phoenix, AZ @ Nile Theater

Apr. 25, 2023 – Austin, TX @ Come and Take It Live

Apr. 26, 2023 – Dallas, TX @ The Echo Lounge and Music Hall

Apr. 28, 2023 – Atlanta, GA @ Variety Playhouse

Apr. 29, 2023 – Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theatre

Apr. 30, 2023 – Baltimore, MD @ Baltimore Soundstage

Pre-order Anno 1696 as a 2CD Artbook Edition, 2LP+CD in gatefold with etching on D-side, 2LP in gatefold (USA only), CD jewel-case or digital album here: https://Insomnium.lnk.to/Anno1696.

ENSLAVED Reveal New Single “Kingdom” Alongside Concept Video

Enslaved released a stunning new track titled ‘Kingdom‘ alongside an evocative concept video. The unorthodox Norwegians have found themselves at an intersection of sorts, where the momentum of living time rushes forward at an ever-increasing pace, imperceptibly modulated by the primeval echoes of eons past.

Ivar Bjørnson stated:
“Kingdom – a tribute to the endurance of ideas and the people that carry them forward through hardship and fatigue, for the benefit of us all. 

Musically, it is a tribute to the Riff and the Rite: to the Teutonic Thrash kings, to Space Rock, to the Ambient pioneers of the 70s. 

With this we ask you to join us on this coming trek. Thanks for listening!

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 Yggdrasillin 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 area 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, their 2021 EP Caravans to the Outer Worldsshowed 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

ENSLAVED RELEASE “BOUNDED BY ALLEGIANCE – LIVE” VIDEO/SINGLE

TAKEN FROM “THE OTHERWORLDLY BIG BAND EXPERIENCE”

Left-field metal luminaries ENSLAVED are proud to reveal their single and video for “Bounded by Allegiance – Live.” The track, which originally comes from their ground-breaking album “Isa” (2004), sees a live recording of a new avant-garde interpretation, with nuanced accompaniment by fellow psychedelic Norwegian prog band Shaman Elephant. This extraordinary performance took place on last year’s Winter Solstice, via the stunning streaming event  “The Otherworldly Big Band Experience.”

Frontman Grutle Kjellson stated,
“So here’s a little memory from last year’s musical endeavor. Our ‘Big Band’ collaboration with Shaman Elephant was such a trip! It felt like, and indeed it was, an avalanche of locked up energy just bursting out. The streamed concert plus a small tour in Norway was pretty much the only shows we did in 2021, so the energy level was pretty much turned to 11, on all of us. All nine of us!
 
‘Bounded By Allegiance’ was one of the first songs we thought would fit being dressed for a nine man outfit, with its natural percussive nature. We hope we were right, enjoy!”


“The Otherworldly Big Band Experience” was an ENSLAVED show like none other, their biggest, boldest project to date – a colossal, kaleidoscopic stage show featuring a stellar setlist covering their career, both past and present. Including some tracks never previously performed live. 

Enslaved‘slatest EP “Caravans To The Outer Worlds” was released unto the universe last year. It is a tale of departure, about leaving behind a barren and desolate world, traveling boldly into the future. It signaled the end of an era for the psychedelic Norwegians, hinting at new pastures.

Enslaved are:
Ivar Bjørnson | guitars 
Grutle Kjellson | vocals
Arve ‘Ice Dale’ Isdal | guitar
Håkon Vinje | keyboards, clean vocals
Iver Sandøy | drums