Norway’s avant-garde metal heroes ENSLAVED are preparing for the final act of their Cinematic Summer Tour – now due to take place on Thursday 1st of October at 7pm BST / 8pm CEST. This virtual release event ‘Utgard – The Journey Within’ is named after their upcoming studio album “Utgard” (out on the 2nd of October), from which they’ll be performing several tracks for the first time ever.
The show is a collaboration with respected Dinkelsbühl, Germany metal festival Summer Breeze who have been long-time friends and supporters of the band. The performance will be presented by Louder alongside their sister sites Prog and Metal Hammer, who will also be hosting an exclusive Facebook Q&A with the band the following day also at 7pm BST / 8pm CEST – the day Utgard is revealed to the world
Grutle Kjellson has filmed an event preview message for fans, which can now be seen below.
ENSLAVED launched an exclusive merchandise range to accompany the Cinematic Summer Tour. To give everyone the chance to be part of this completely novum in music, all three shows will be free of charge, however ENSLAVED have launched a donation link if fans wish to make a contribution towards the costs of putting the shows on. Purchase exclusive Cinematic Summer Tour merch at the US store or the EU store.
For this forward-thinking concept, ENSLAVED joined
- July 30th – in cooperation with Roadburn, the tour launched with a “Chronicles Of The Northbound” show.
- August 20th – this second show was a “Below The Lights” set, presented by Beyond The Gates festival.
- October 1st – the band will end their virtual tour at Summer Breeze festival with a presentation of some new songs, for their release event “Utgard – The Journey Within“. Presented by Louder.
“Utgard” track listing:
- Fires In The Dark
- Jettegryta
- Sequence
- Homebound
- Utgardr
- Urjotun
- Flight Of Thought And Memory
- Storms Of Utgard
- Distant Seasons
Pre-order “Utgard” at this location. The album will be available as:
- CD jewel case (available with signed insert from Recordstore.co.uk)
- Limited Edition Black Vinyl (available with signed insert from Recordstore.co.uk)
- Limited Edition Grey Vinyl (300 copies)
- Limited Edition Blue Vinyl (300 copies) – SOLD OUT
- Limited Edition UK Exclusive Transparent Green Vinyl (300 copies + available with signed insert from Recordstore.co.uk)
Regarding the “Utgard” album title, the band commented: “‘Utgard’ bears countless meanings to us; an image, metaphor, an esoteric ‘location’, a word on its own, etc. — on different levels and layers. From Norse mythology we know it as a landscape were the giants roam; where the gods of Asgard have no control; dangerous, chaotic, uncontrollable and where madness, creativeness, humor and chaos dwells.
“The album is a journey into and through ‘Utgard’. It is a place of unification of that which is above and that which lies below. It is not about avoiding fear of the pitch-black darkness (it will keep on growing until the next confrontation), but to go into the darkness itself. This is the rebirth of the individual. In a world that has become so obsessed with the false lights of greed, jealousy and egotism this is a necessary journey.
“‘Utgard’ is not a fairytale, it is a vital part of both your mind and your surroundings, and it has been since the dawn of mankind. Acknowledging that this realm exists and is a vital part of the self, has inspired us deeply since the early days of our lives. Enjoy our journey to the outer limits.”
ENSLAVED unveiled the “Utgard” album cover in a social media post in March. The band stated: “This is the 9th consecutive album cover artwork done by Truls Espedal — and like the album itself it is definitely on the wavelength of the long-distance pulse from the ENSLAVED generator. It is a piece of art that mirrors a massive concept and a band that is also more lyrically and philosophically inspired than ever before. That Truls is a master of his art is established a long time ago, but he has truly outdone himself on this interpretation of our Utgard. Just looking at how the colors and techniques are used to create the depth and grandiosity of the horizon. The perfect travelling companion into these uncharted territories.”
