Norwegian band Enslaved have announced the release of their 16th studio album “Heimdal” on March 3, 2023. The record will be released on the Nuclear Blast label. Along with the announcement, the band unveiled a single along with a video titled “Congelia.” An epic, layered but somewhat monotonous composition with a video dedicated to nature. You can watch the video below. Commentary by Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson:
It’s quite weird, yet pretty awesome that we are now talking about the release of our 16th album; yes our 16th full-length album release. That’s not too shabby for a couple of scallywags from rural western Norway, is it? If you count our stint in the short lived Phobia-act, we have been playing together for no less than 32 years!
In all these years, Norse mythology has been our umbilical cord to the realms of mysticism and philosophy, and our gateway to the realms of deep psychology and the esoteric worlds beyond. One of the most fascinating characters of our mythology is Heimdal, and he has been lurking around in our minds like an enigma for three decades now. His first appearance was in a song called ‘Heimdallr’ on our demo tape Yggdrasill back in 1992, and he’s had both minor and more significant roles in our lyrical universe over the years.
This time we have decided to dedicate an entire body of work to this most enigmatic of characters and richest of archetypes – we give you Heimdal. We have reached deeper and scouted further ahead than ever before – the past, present and future sound of the band comes together in songs born from sheer inspiration – it is the common force of a close-nit group of friends and musicians.
“Heimdal” is both a departure and a communion with the roots formed more than three decades ago in the tumultuous throes of the birth of the Norwegian black metal scene. The record is named after Heimdal, perhaps the most enigmatic creature in Scandinavian mythology.
The album includes the psychedelic track “Caravans To The Outer Worlds” from last year’s EP of the same name. The bonus version of the album includes the additional track “Gangandi,” as well as a Blu-ray copy of the stunning 2021 Otherworldly Big Band Experience, the band’s boldest project to date, featuring Norwegian prog band Shaman Elephant. The show includes a stellar setlist spanning Enslaved’s career, both past and present.
“Heimdal” was produced by Enslaved themselves. The mixing was done by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios and the final processing was done by Tony Lindgren. The concept and lyrics for “Heimdal” were, as always, developed by Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson in tandem.
- Behind The Mirror
- Congelia
- Forest Dweller
- Kingdom
- The Eternal Sea
- Caravans To The Outer Worlds
- Gangandi (bonus track)
- Heimdal
