Friday, September 21, 2012

ENSLAVED: ANNOUNCE "SPRING RITE" 2013 EUROPEAN TOUR

Norwegian progressive/avant gard black metal legends ENSLAVED  have announced "SPRING RITE" , a spring 2013 EUROPEAN tour.

Norwegian progressive black metal legends ENSLAVED have unleashed the tracklisting and art work for the bands anticipated new release "RIITIIR" due to be unleashed  in Europe on September 28th and in North America on October 9th via NUCLEAR BLAST. 

FROM ENSLAVED: 


The following is the fifth of eight installments where bassist/vocalist/lyricist Grutle Kjellson and rhythm guitarist/songwriter/lyricist Ivar Bjørnson of the Norwegian progressive extreme metal bandENSLAVED offer insight on the tracks to their twelfth studio album, RIITIIR, due out in Europe on September 28th and in North America on October 9th via Nuclear Blast Records.

Kjellson on RIITIIR Track #5, “Riitiir”:

“I really wanted to use these lyrics on the song that ended up being ‘Roots Of The Mountain,’ butIvar insisted on using them on this one. I’m glad he did so! This song is the shortest, ‘only’ 5 minutes 30 seconds long, and the far most bombastic and conclusive song on the album. A nothing-but-perfect title track! The diversity in the different riffs - from Middle-Eastern-like passages to almost Swedish folk/prog-like tones - really suits my lyrics and the initial meaning of those. I will not reveal too much; it’s up to the so-called attentive reader to judge what they really mean. I could, of course, explain what it all means, but that would be as exciting as Leonardo Da Vinci explaining the facial expression of the Mona Lisa. I’m not saying that the codes in the ‘Riitiir’ lyrics will be debated for 500 years, but let us leave some mysteries for the readers that enjoy metaphors and ‘Easter eggs.’ They are, however - as a rough guide - about a widely worshiped god/deity around the world that appears under different names in different geographical areas. The name ‘Riitiir’ is an ENSLAVED-ish way of writing rite, or the rites of man if you like - just like ‘Ruun’ was for writing rune - i.e. just a cosmetic variation really, but we thought it looked and sounded cool. It’s okay to take a couple of chances, isn’t it?”

Bjørnson on “Riitiir”:

“This song came as a result of the title, before it became the title for the entire album. As I went for a ‘ritualistic’ feel to the music for this song, it seemed natural to utilize a more straightforward/traditional song structure than I normally do these days (‘Why does everything have to be so weird?’). I love how the mix of the northern folk elements blend with arabesque and eastern mystical notes here and there… and how the different vocal styles build up the dramatic and almost threatening feeling that emanates from the choruses. The middle-section really did its job with a mix of Scandi-folkprog, gongs, hysterical chord progressions, and Grutle’s voice slithering among the riff-reed like some ancient pike demon. A guitar player I admire highly heard the song recently and said that the verse riffing reminded him of Malmsteen in his heyday; what a compliment! Last but not nearly last, there’sGrutle’s lyrics. For me it represents the other half of the album’s conceptual inner-core together with‘Thoughts Like Hammers’ - it illustrates the synergy that keeps us vital, relevant, and perhaps even progressive in our expanding lyrical universe; my (sometimes ridiculously) unscientific and subjective explorations of psychology, mysticism, and philosophy with Grutle’s insight and more structured research into mythology and history. With these lyrics, it is more appropriate to use the plural form, mythologies, as he is including a vast diversity of them ranging from Indian mysticism (where some even say Oden once originated from before wandering west and north) and onwards in both history and geography. For me this is a particularly important song, as it underlines the universal, introspective, and time/placeless nature of ENSLAVED as opposed the petty cultural pissing-contest so often associated with so-called ‘pagan’ art in our time.”



RIITIIR was recorded in Bergen, Norway at Duper Studios, Earshot Studios, Solslottet Studios, and Peersonal Sound.  At Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden, Jens Bogren handled mixing duties while Tony Lindgren handled the mastering.  The team of producers includes ENSLAVED’s very own Ivar Bjørnson, Grutle Kjellson & Herbrand Larsen, plus Iver Sandøy.

Norwegian progressive extreme metal band ENSLAVED have unveiled the track listing to their twelfth studio album, RIITIIR, on their official Facebook page. 

“It has been only two years since we last released an album [2010’s award-winning Axioma Ethica Odini], and we’ve been touring Europe and North America several times since then,” reflectsENSLAVED guitarist, songwriter, and founding member Ivar Bjørnson. “Some might think that this schedule, and the fact that we celebrated our 20th anniversary last year, should result in some time off in the end.  Nah.  Like a space vessel that gains momentum by entering slingshot-orbits on its way through space, we seem to gain speed, direction, and strength on our journeys, through new releases and subsequent tours.

“Describing the sound on the new album is both easy and hard,” Bjørnson continues. “It is easy because it sounds like ENSLAVED, whatever that means.  It is hard because there are so many layers and different focal points.  I have a feeling that it has a deeper complexity than our previous efforts, but at the same time, I do find it more catchy and moving.  Then again, I am the opposite of objective in this, so again I’ll leave it up to the people outside the band to make up their mind.”

The track listing for RIITIIR’s European and North American digi-pak is as follows:

01. Thoughts Like Hammers
02. Death In The Eyes Of Dawn
03. Veilburner
04. Roots Of The Mountain
05. Riitiir
06. Materal
07. Storm Of Memories
08. Forsaken

The track listing for RIITIIR’s 2 LP double-gatefold is as follows:

Side A: 
01. Thoughts Like Hammers
02. Death In The Eyes Of Dawn
Side B:
01. Veilburner
02. Roots Of The Mountain
Side C:
01. Riitiir
02. Materal
Side D:
01. Storm Of Memories
02. Forsaken

RIITIIR is due out in Europe on September 28th and in North America on October 9th.

ENSLAVED will be performing in this year’s Barge To Hell cruise from Miami to the Caribbean, beginning on December 3rd.  


FROM ENSLAVED:
ENSLAVED FALL 2012 TOUR DATES:
DateVenueLocationTickets
Sep 28Enslaveds hjemme-alenefest på Apollon. Vi spiller RIITIIR og drikker øl!Bergen, Norway
Oct 04BlæstTrondheim, Norway
Oct 05John DeeSankt Hanshaugen, Norway

Oct 06GregersHamar, Norway
Oct 12ArenaStord, Norway

Oct 25FolkenStavanger, Norway
Oct 25KickKristiansand, Norway
Nov 03HøvlerietHaugesund, Norway
Dec 03Enslaved @ BARGE TO HELLMiami, FL

ENSLAVED:  SPRING RITE EUROPE 2013

MARCH
13TH - DIVAN DU MONDE, PARIS FR
14TH - MQ LIVE, MANCHESTER UK

15TH - HAMMERFEST, WALES UK
16TH - BUTTON FACTORY, DUBLIN IRL
17TH - LIMELIGHT 2, BELFAST UK
19TH - ACADEMY, SHEFFIELD UK
20TH - THE FLEECE, BRISTOL UK
21ST - UNDERWORLD, LONDON UK
22ND - BIEBOB, VOSSELAAR BEL
23RD - W2, DEN BOSCH NL
24TH - P60, AMSTELVEEN NL
26TH - UNDERGROUND, COLOGNE GER
28TH - ESCAPE METALCORNER, VIENNA AUS
29TH - DURER KERT, BUDAPEST HUN
30TH - COLLOSEUM, KOICSE SLO
31ST - BACKSTAGE, MUNICH GER

 APRIL
2ND - OD ZMIERZCHU DO SWITU , WROCLAW PL
3RD -MAGNET, BERLIN GER
4TH - LOGO, HAMBURG GER
5TH - RADAR (CLUB BRUTAL) , AARHUS DK

 VIDEO BELOW: ENSLAVED: "VEILBURNER" LYRIC VIDEO: 

 Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-\m/ -l- 
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