Dun Ringill Premiere “Awakening” Video; Announce Where the Old Gods Play Acts 1 & 2
A six-minute chug-riffer with burl to spare, Dun Ringill’s new single “Awakening” is the first herald of their upcoming two-part full-length release, Where the Old Gods Play, set to issue next Fall and in early 2024 as their first outings through The Sign Records. Early for a single, you say? Yeah, it is, but somehow with two record’s worth of material in their pocket I think the band aren’t in danger of running out of new material anytime soon.
And such productivity isn’t necessarily new for the Swedish six-piece, who got together in 2017 after bassist Patrik Winberg‘s prior outfit, The Order of Israfel, well, fell. In 2020, Dun Ringill brought forth Library of Death (review here) as the follow-up to 2019’s debut, Welcome (review here), so they’ve kept a pretty steady pace, perhaps making up for a bit of lost-to-the-void pandemic-time with these back-to-back LP offerings. But however they get it done, it’s emblematic of their style as well as work ethic that they’re as recognizable as they are, touting Nordic folk elements that, yeah, are there, while the band meanwhile completely manages to skirt actually being folk metal.
Where the Old Gods Play Acts 1 & 2, should they follow the pattern — and the expectation they will is born of the band’s reliable level of songwriting — will be doom rockers for the converted, but make no mistake, they’re metal-born. The same is true of “Awakening.” The medieval-style visuals, creepy-stuff-in-the-woods, and dudes playing on hillsides with amps to be found nowhere (I’m sorry, I love that shit; takes me right back to Headbanger’s Ball) could hardly be more appropriate for the song itself. If you want to think of “Awakening” as an early check-in from Dun Ringill, proof of life and announcement of good things to come, do that. But it’s also a righteous groove on its on with some wicked guttural vocals that, if you’ve got a quota for dudely in your afternoon, will almost surely meet it.
Further, if even just the word “Awakening” triggers religious associations in your mind — a spiritual awakening, in other words — that would seem to be no coincidence, since Where the Old Gods Play Acts 1 & 2 takes its narrative framework from a film script penned by Winberg. I’ve never made a movie and I’m not familiar with the process from start to finish — as opposed to, say, making a record by doing the drums/basic tracks first — but I’d imagine both Acts will be out before an actual cinematic manifestation of the story appears, but still, having a storyline reach across two full-length albums is not exactly lacking ambition as it stands.
I’ll hope to have more to come as we get closer to the release of Where the Old Gods Play Act 1, but for now, here’s “Awakening” followed by what details are available now for the album(s).
Enjoy:
Dun Ringill, “Awakening” official video
Dun Ringill on “Awakening”
”This is the Awakening……”
This opening song from the new album starts off with the sound of the waves breaking against the shore with distant bagpipes being heard, before the heavy folky-doom takes the listener on a menacing dance between light and darkness. The bruised and scarred Lucia (main character of this concept album), has just woken up on the sea-shore to start her unpredictable journey…
”The memories are frightening…”
The storyline is set in 1904 on the Isle of Skye in Scotland where Lucia, with low self-esteem from her troubled past, meets a local church group which is led by a strong, charismatic and manipulative individual.
”This is the day of reckoning…”
The music of the album carefully reflects the main story which unfolds. Behind the dramatic backdrop of the Scottish highlands, we follow Lucia’s dark inner journey which will form her personality and mind, leading to her Awakening.
”I will meet it with a welcoming…”
Awakening on:
Spotify – https://open.spotify.com/album/2uvbqSrKjbBdVn9XFVl3NK
iTunes – https://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1648458207
Deezer – https://www.deezer.com/album/363385027
Awakening is the first single taken from the forthcoming double concept album ”Where the Old Gods Play Acts 1 & 2”. The piece of work will be available over two single albums, released in Autumn 2023 & spring 2024.
WTOGP 1 & 2 is the follow up to their highly acclaimed albums “Welcome” and “Library of Death”. After the release of album No 2 ” Library of Death”, the band decided to challenge themselves further by writing an ambitious double concept album. To enhance the story, the band (now with a new drummer) choose to increase the intensity of their dark, progressive visions whilst still faithfully incorporating their native Nordic folk influences.
The release of their new album will be an adventurous double concept album, released as two single albums via The Sign records, is based on a movie script written by Patrik Andersson Winberg (bassist and main songwriter in DR) and Jonas Granath (teacher in religion and literature). Contact has been made with movie producers who have shown great interest in the script thus far. More info to follow later this year. The story (based in Scotland in early 1900) centers around the manipulation of the church with a priest whose secret agenda only reveals itself at the end.
Dun Ringill is:
Thomas Eriksson – Vocals (Also in Intoxicate and Ex-Grotesque and Doomdogs)
Neil Grant – Drums (Ex- End Of Level Boss and RAAR)
Patrik Andersson Winberg – Bass (Ex The Order of Israfel and Doomdogs)
Jens Florén – Guitar ( Also in Lommi and ex live guitarist for Dark Tranquillity)
Tommy Stegemann – Guitar ( Ex Silverhorse)
Patric Grammann – Guitar ( Ex Southern Festival Train and Neon Leon)
What a great video and song(#128512#)