Enslaved Post New Single and Video “Kingdom”
Anyone notice how the new Enslaved video has a better framerate than real life? Shit looks gorgeous. Also, I actually LOL’ed when the piggyback happened at 3:02. Don’t get me wrong, it’s all very artsy and I know it’s a metaphor and so on, but it’s also a guy doing light parkour in the wilderness and then running on a beach and having an old man climb on his back. So, video of the year? Maybe. In any case, you know it’s Iceland even before you look at the names in the credits and see all the ‘ð,’ ‘fn,’ ‘Þ,’ etc. As I said, gorgeous.
“Kingdom” — for that is the name of the song in question — doesn’t come from the band’s new album or anything (they’ve got a record due in Feb.; thanks Mike H. for the info), but it’s definitely, definitely Enslaved. And by that I mean a band who’ve been together over 30 years and have a continuous creative progression
the likes of which just about nobody else can boast. I guess you would say “Kingdom” is of the era of 2020’s Utgard (review here) and its Caravans to the Outer Worlds (review here) companion EP, but mostly because that means the band and guitarist/songwriter Ivar Bjørnson are doing whatever the hell feels right and following no other apparent standard. To be fair, that is all they need to do. I do not think Bjørnson or anyone else composing material in Enslaved sits down and says, “now we are going to try adding krautrock rhythmic repetitions to our progressive black metal foundation,” but they keep going and all that stuff comes out. They are exploratory unto themselves.
In the PR wire info below, you might note that in the quote from Bjørnson, he talks about a ‘coming trek.’ I do not know if that means a tour announcement is to follow shortly — I could live 400 years and I’d never be cool enough to have inside info on this band — but it’s something to keep an eye on. Enslaved were in North America this year, curating at the Fire in the Mountains festival in Wyoming, which if you’ve seen as many pictures of it on your social media as I have of mine, you know was quite a thing to miss out on as I did, sad to say. If you were there, you probably don’t need me to tell you about it. Right on.
This is Enslaved‘s second single of 2022 behind the live version of “Bounded by Allegiance” (posted here) earlier this year as taken from their ‘Otherworldly Big Band Experience’ collaborative streaming concert. I would not attempt to guess what they might do from here, but if it is a tour, the arguments in favor of showing up are about as vast as the Icelandic countryside through which all the admirably athletic Icelanders are running in the “Kingdom” video. Don’t worry, they get where they’re going.
Enjoy:
Enslaved, “Kingdom” official video
ENSLAVED Reveal New Single “Kingdom” Alongside Concept Video
ATOMS HUM.
THE ORDER OF ALL. THE OLDEST OF DREAMS.
Today, Enslaved release 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!”
Stream/Download ‘Kingdom’ here: https://enslaved.bfan.link/single-kingdom.ema
Enslaved is:
Ivar Bjørnson – guitar
Grutle Kjellson – vocals/bass
Ice Dale – guitar
Håkon Vinje – keys/vocals
Iver Sandøy – drums
More Enslaved always welcome. Definitely sounds in the same vein as Utgard/Caravans.