Enslaved Announce The Sleeping Gods – Thorn Due Nov. 11 & Vikingligr Veldi Vinyl Reissue
Yeah, I know how it goes posting about Enslaved around here. I put something up about how the long-running Norwegian progressive black metallers are genius and how continuously innovative their sound is and blah blah blah and it falls completely flat. That was certainly the case when I reviewed their latest album, In Times (review here), last year. Well, whatever. I dig the crap out of the band and enjoy writing about them, so I’m not going to stop. They’ll release a compilation of material from 2010-2011 titled The Sleeping Gods – Thorn on Nov. 11 through ByNorse Music.
A few interesting things to note for anyone else who follows the band: ByNorse Music is definitely not Nuclear Blast, which has put out the last several Enslaved records. Whether that deal has ended or if this is a one-off or what, I don’t know, but it’s noteworthy all the same. Also, the title seems to draw from The Sleeping Gods, which was a Scion A/V EP released back in 2011, though whether the two will share any material between them is also unclear. My initial impression is no, since The Sleeping Gods – Thorn doesn’t seem to feature keyboardist/vocalist Herbrand Larsen, who is very much present in the aforementioned EP.
To those noteworthies, add the vinyl reissue of their first album, Vikingligr Veldi and the considerable round of touring Enslaved are about to do starting later this month, covering ground in Australia, Japan, Europe and the US, and yes, I feel completely justified in continuing to herald their brilliance. So there.
From the PR wire:
ENSLAVED To Release The Sleeping Gods – Thorn November 11th; To Issue Vikingligr Veldi On Vinyl For The First Time Ever
Norwegian progressive extreme metal icons ENSLAVED will release The Sleeping Gods – Thorn compilation this November via ByNorse Music. A full-length album comprised of rare material from 2010-2011, The Sleeping Gods – Thorn is a unique collection of experimental material connecting with the band’s early roots.
The seven tracks comprising The Sleeping Gods – Thorn originally appeared on extremely limited EPs between ENSLAVED’s Axioma Ethica Odini and Riitiir full-lengths and were recorded both in Solslottet Studio in Bergen, as well as the band members’ own studios and partly in the deep woods of Valevaag on the South Western Coast of Norway. Like the songs themselves, the production is a mix of old and new; high tech and no-tech – a mix of concepts that have been essential in achieving the signature sound ENSLAVED has become notorious for today. Members Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson co-produced the material together with long-time collaborator Iver Sandøy.
The album includes lyrics sung in Norwegian, English, and Old Norse, with themes centered on mythology and the esoteric side of the runes, as well as contrasting the Norse Ways as a polytheistic belief system to the monotheistic plague of the Big World Religions. The music nods respectfully to the wildly varying deities that make up the pantheon of inspiration for ENSLAVED, both “then” and “now.” There are traces of the proto black metal of Bathory, the classic rock and heavy metal of the ’70s and ’80s, the synthesized and sequenced masters of the ’70s, prog-rock, world/Norse folk music, Norwegian black metal of the ’90s, modern classical music, goth rock a la Fields Of The Nephilim, and much more.
Tying he package together are the extensive liner notes Kjellson and a beautiful new layout by Costin Chioreanu of Twilight 13 Media (Roadburn Festival, Opeth, Darkthrone, At The Gates, etc.) whose mesmerizing new illustrations display a unique symbiosis between two of our times’ most exciting visual and sonic artists.
The Sleeping Gods – Thorn will see release on November 11th on limited edition blue vinyl (webshop edition), black vinyl, digipak CD, and digitally via ByNorse Music. Preorders will start on September 30th.
The Sleeping Gods – Thorn Lineup:
Ivar Bjørnson – guitar, synth
Grutle Kjellson – vocals, bass
Cato Bekkevold – drums
Ice Dale – lead guitar
ENSLAVED will issue their debut full-length, the now legendary Vikingligr Veldi, on vinyl for the first time ever. Set for release on September 23rd, 2016 via By Norse Music, the limited 2xLP gatefold edition includes a stunning new layout design by Z. Bielak (Ghost, Mayhem etc.) as well as four brand new illustrations specially made for this groundbreaking offering. Additionally, the record has been respectfully remastered for vinyl by Iver Sandøy preserving every bit of its original dynamics.
ENSLAVED’s Vikingligr Veldi, initially released in 1994, was co-produced with the legendary Pytten (Immortal, Mayhem, Burzum, Emperor et al) in Grieghallen, Bergen, Norway. The album features lyrics in Icelandic, and is a tribute to the Norse landscape, history, and mythology. The songs match these themes with long, horizontal songscapes, dense atmospheres, and winds from the past.
“We have been waiting since the day we recorded it,” comments ENSLAVED’s Ivar Bjørnson, “and at last it is happening! It has been a challenging journey, and it has demanded a lot of patience and understanding from all parts involved. The day we held the finished product in our hands was as sacred a day for us as the day we finished recording it.”
Ivar Bjørnson – guitars, keys
Grutle Kjellson – vocals, bass
Trym Torson – drums
Enslaved tour dates:
Sep 29 Kiff Aarau, Switzerland
Sep 30 Club Cann Stuttgart, Germany
Oct 02 Essigfabrik Köln, Germany
Oct 05 CROWBAR Fortitude Valley, Australia
Oct 06 Prince Bandroom St.Kilda, Australia
Oct 07 Manning Bar Sydney, Australia
Oct 08 Loud Park 2016 Saitama Shi, Japan
Oct 15 Lido Berlin, Germany
Oct 16 Progresja Warsaw, Poland
Oct 17 Firlej Wroclaw, Poland
Oct 18 Nová Chmelnice Praha, Czech Republic
Oct 19 Backstage Munich, Germany
Oct 20 Szene Wien, Austria
Oct 22 Club Rockstadt Brasov, Romania
Oct 23 Dürer Kert Budapest, Hungary
Oct 24 Kino Siska Ljubljana, Slovenia
Oct 26 Bronson Ravenna, Italy
Oct 27 Traffic Rome, Italy
Oct 28 Circolo Colony Brescia, Italy
Oct 29 Jas’rod Pennes Mirabeau, France
Oct 30 Razzmatazz 2 Barcelona, Spain
Oct 31 BUT Madrid, Spain
Nov 02 METRONUM Toulouse, France
Nov 03 Antipode Rennes, France
Nov 04 Divan Du Monde Paris, France
Nov 05 Damnation Festival Leeds, United Kingdom
Nov 07 Neushoorn Leeuwarden, Netherlands
Nov 08 013 Tilburg, Netherlands
Nov 09 Musikzentrum Hannover, Germany
Nov 10 Beatpol Dresden, Germany
Nov 11 Metal Hammer Paradise Wangels, Germany
Dec 10 Gramercy Theatre New York, NY
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