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THANK YOU NEW YORK! The New York By Norse event which took place this past week-end at Scandinavia House and Gramercy Theatre encountered a huge success, and we want to thank everyone who made it possible and were part of that event, as well as you guys for your dedication, support and enthusiasm!

Ivar Bjørnson, Enslaved guitarist and co-founder of By Norse comments on the event: « New York, we can not thank you enough for this wonderful weekend, New York By Norse, and fantastic end of year celebration for Enslaved 25. From the epic shows at Scandinavia House to us closing the ball at Gramercy Saturday – it has been days we will never forget. For your enthusiasm, encouraging and personal feedback and relentless support and dedication: we salute you; the fans, media and partners that made this all possible! See you soon, for the next 25! »

The end of the By Norse event is also the moment we chose to announce that our keyboard player Herbrand Larsen took the decision to leave Enslaved. Grutle Kjellson comments: « Friends of Enslaved, brothers and sisters! Nothing lasts forever, and we have something to announce. Our keyboardist and vocalist for the last 13 years, Herbrand Larsen is leaving the band. There is no drama in connection with his departure, it was entirely his own decision, and we part ways as friends and with no bad blood in between us.
We want to thank Herbrand for his duties in Enslaved in all these years, for standing alongside us on our adventures all over the world. We had some really good times on the road, in the recording studios and in our practice space. We raise our glasses, and wish you all the best on your next voyage! Thank you friend! »

Herbrand Larsen adds: « After 13 years of being a part of this amazing band it saddens me to say that I will be leaving Enslaved. It was not an easy decision to come to! I love Enslaved and will always do. There is no drama or anger involved in this. I think we all understand why this is the best decision both for me and the band.
I don’t have that 100% drive anymore, the drive you need to be in a band like Enslaved. Only 99% and that is not enough. It’s hard to explain but this is how it is. I remember all the shows we have done together. All the places we have been and all the fans that we’ve met. I remember meeting fans, telling me that our music really means something to them. I remember traveling places I never thought I would see. I remember working with extremely talented people. I remember tough times, sad times but most of all, all the good times. You have all been a huge part of my life and will still be.
For that I’m truly grateful! I’m looking forward to spend more time in the studio. Recording, producing and mixing music. That’s where I want my focus and my drive to be. To Arve, Cato, Grutle and Ivar, thank you for your friendship, your creativity and your support. I wouldn’t be who I am today if it wasn’t for you guys. I am sure you will be even better, stronger and more successful in the future. And you will still continue to be my friends and a big part of my life. Thank you! »

Don't miss our Spinning Wheel Ritual Tour Norway’s last date:
16/12/2016 - Bergen, Hulen (NO)
Get your tickets here: http://bit.ly/2hpESEd

«Roadburn Live» is our first official live album, a split release between Roadburn Records and By Norse Music. The album was recorded during one of our headline shows at the renowned Roadburn Festival 2015; an edition curated by Ivar Bjørnson.

Grutle comments on the album: "I'm generally not a huge fan of live albums, I like to be present at a show, to grasp the energy of the band and to witness the, sometimes, magical symbiosis that occurs between the band and the audience. I am, however, a huge fan of the Roadburn Festival! I consider this to be my all time favorite, both as a musician and as a guest. Therefore; if ever Enslaved were to release a live album, it had to be from a Roadburn show! I hope you will enjoy listening to this piece of wax as much as we did recording it!"

«Roadburn Live» will be available as limited and exclusive Record Store Day color editions and as Roadburn/Enslaved-Webshop Gold edition including the original A3 Roadburn poster and color stickers !

Walter Hoeijmakers / Roadburn's Artistic Director comments on the release: "It’s no secret that there’s a strong friendship between Roadburn and Enslaved. One of the most hard-hitting and progressive bands to come out of Norway, Enslaved has played a significant part in the festival's history - both musically and artiscally. Not only has Enslaved been our artist in residence, bringing side-projects such as The Armageddon Concerto (the Enslaved / Shining collaboration), Dream of an Opium Eater and Trinacria to Roadburn, Ivar Bjørnson has also been our 2015 co-curator, along with Wardruna’s Einar Kvitrafn Selvik, and resulting in Skuggsjá's first ever performance outside of Norway. Enslaved’s 2015 performances were the pinnacle of this enduring and artistic friendship, and showcased the massive influence the band has had on both Roadburn, and the (underground) metal scene for the past two decades. To have these shows captured on vinyl is a dream come true for me, and I truly hope it’s the same for anyone who was in attendance, or those who want to indulge themselves in the Northern magic of Enslaved."

And to celebrate the release, what better way than to hold a playback session at the Roadburn Festival 2017! Becky Laverty / Roadburn Festival comments: “Enslaved and Roadburn share a history that is entwined and their 2015 performance on the main stage was such a fantastic milestone for both parties, that it makes perfect sense for the show to be released as a live album. As the album will be released during Roadburn 2017, it seemed fitting to invite attendees and the band alike to join us for a playback session at the festival as part of our popular side program.”

More information about the playback session to be revealed soon!

«Roadburn Live» also features a brilliant layout created by highly respected artist and Roadburn’s regular graphic designer Costin Chioreanu. The album was mixed by Iver Sandøy at Solslottet Studio, mastered by Jens Bogren (Kreator, Opeth, Sepultura) in Fascination Studios. It is also our last official release with Herbrand Larsen on keys and vocals.

After celebrating 25 years in 2016 showcasing a majority of our older material, «Roadburn Live» displays songs mainly from the "newer" and more progressive era of our career, with songs from “In Times”, “Riitiir”, “Isa”, “Below the Lights” and “Monumension”. Featuring guest appearances of Einar Selvik (Wardruna), Aðalbjörn Tryggvason (Sólstafir), Per Wiberg (Opeth, Candlemass); and Menno Gootjes (Focus) on "Immigrant Song", our first cover song to appear on any record ever!

RELEASE DATE AND FORMAT:
April 22nd: Record Store Day limited color editions and Roadburn/Enslaved-Webshop Gold edition
Regular vinyl/CD/Digital: more information soon!

2017-04-20 - It’s been over two years since the release of critically acclaimed album »In Times«, and now Norway's progressive metal legends ENSLAVED have entered the studio again to record their 14th, yet untitled full-length release. Aiming for both wilder and yet more progressive and melodic horizons, the band who celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, never ceases to surprise and challenge their fans; they will once again step up to the plate. The recordings are taking place at Duper & Solslottet Studios in Bergen throughout April, and will be mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios. With its epic touch, the album promises to be original and refreshing - and to contain some surprising new elements.

“It is absolutely fantastic to be in the studio with these new songs", states mastermind Ivar Bjørnson. "So many doors were opened with »In Times« and the times (sic) that followed; for us as a band, for me as a composer and I guess for us all on a personal level. I have never worked this hard to put together music for an album before, and that intensity continues into the studio where everybody is giving their everything, every hour of every day. We are a tighter unit than ever before, which is obvious sonically. The concept conjured by myself and old war-brother Grutle is the strongest we have worked with. Finally, I am proud that we have taken more risks than ever before, and one in particular - and it is yielding awesome results. What does that mean? Stay tuned to find out!”

The eye-catching cover and artwork is once again being currently created by renowned designer and painter Truls Espedal. More info will be revealed soon!

*** NEWS FROM THE STUDIO! ***
We're happy to announce that we have now finished the recording process of our 14th, yet untitled album, set for release this autumn on Nuclear Blast! And while Jens Bogren is currently mastering and mixing this more progressive and epic full length release at his famous Fascination Street Studios, we're putting the final touches to an epic first leg of a European tour that will be announced shortly, so keep your eyes open!

2017 will be the year we move forward with our sound and aim for more progressive and melodic horizons, adding an organic and old school-ish touch - and several courageous experiments. Exciting, right?

We'll be playing on the following festivals this summer, see you around!
24.06 Halden (N) - Tons of Rock 2017
13.08 Kortrijk (B) - ALCATRAZ Festival 2017 - Kortrijk
24. - 26.08 Bergen (N) - Beyond the Gates
25.08 Moss (N) - Festivalen Sin
16.09 Sao Paulo (BR) - Overload Music Fest
26.-27.10 Stockholm (S) - Close-Up Båten 21

With Opeth
17.11 Belfast (UK) - The Limelight 1
18.11 Dublin (IRL) - The Academy

ENSLAVED - finish recording of their 14th studio record!
ENSLAVED - finish recording! - 2017-07-04

2017-07-04 - It is accomplished - the Norwegian Progressive Black avantgardists ENSLAVED have finished the recording process of their 14th full-length masterpiece and in the renowned Fascination Street Studios, Jens Bogren polished this new raw diamond with his mixing and mastering skills. Just like for their predecessor »In Times«, which stormed the soundcheck rankings of the biggest European magazines, the metal veterans from Bergen still never look back and keep expanding their horizons. And this spring they created a spectacular sound chimera of experimental prog filled with majestic melodies, epic sound landscapes and harsh black metal moments - all united in a massive storm that will reach the coast this autumn.
I'm always psyched and proud when we have finished an album recording, and this is no exeption!" states singer Grutle Kjellson. "It was a really exciting process this time, with the line-up change and everything, so although it wasn't a dramatic change, the band dynamics were suddenly different. But, it was like a little re-boot, a fresh start so to speak. The studio sessions were great, and we all feel that we have done something truly amazing. We hope you'll enjoy it. Ugh!"

More info on ENSLAVED's devouring maelstrom will be revealed on August 11th.

ENSLAVED - announce album details and release date of »E«, launch album pre-order!
ENSLAVED - album details & pre-order! - 2017-08-07

2017-08-07 - True Norwegian black avant-gardists ENSLAVED have announced the release of their epic new studio album for October 13th, 2017. This 14th full-length masterpiece sets the musical mind-twisters free from genre boundaries and offers a unprecedented mix of prog, extreme metal and shoegaze on 8 tracks with a play time of more than an hour. Elegantly titled »E«, the album was once again written by the unholy alliance of guitarist Ivar Bjørnson (music, lyrics) and singer/bassist Grutle Kjellson (lyrics) and marks the introduction of their new keyboard master and clean vocalist Håkon Vinje. Mixed and mastered at the Fascination Street Studios by the renowed Jens Bogren, »E« heralds a new era for ENSLAVED. Its cover artwork was once again hand-painted by the Norwegian artist Truls Espedal. As support for their brave sound journey, the quintet brought several guest musicians on board for the songs 'Hiindsiight' and 'Feathers Of Eolh', including WARDRUNA's Einar Kvitrafn Selvik, flutist Daniel Mage and jazz saxophonist Kjetil Møster.

2019-12-04 - Norwegian metal avant-gardists ENSLAVED have some big news for their fans: the band have just entered the studio and are currently working on new material for their upcoming album. This new gem will be released once again via Nuclear Blast Records and has a tentative release date of May 2020.

Band founding member and guitarist Ivar Bjørnson stated about the recordings:
"The days are growing darker in the Northern hemisphere - and Bergen is covered in a blanket of frost. This sets the scene as we have entered the studio to record the new ENSLAVED album. Since our last album, we have a "new" drummer - in quotation marks, since he has been with us behind the scenes for more than a decade. Together with me (Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson) he constitutes the production team on this new album - and as before we will record in Bergen in Duper Studio and next door at Iver's Solslottet Studio. Before crossing the mountains eastwards to Örebro into Fascination Street where Jens Bogren will handle the mix.
The new material I feel is very powerful. The ENSLAVED signature is there, but there is a wild drive and a level of energy that makes me extremely excited. All five members have poured their dedication and souls into the preparations, and there are new sides to the band shown that will elevate this album... "

"The days are growing darker in the Northern hemisphere - and Bergen is covered in a blanket of frost. This sets the scene as we have entered the studio to record the new Enslaved album. Since our last album, we have a "new" drummer - in quotation marks, since Iver has been with us behind the scenes for more than a decade. Together with me (Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson) he constitutes the production team on this new album - and as before we will record in Bergen in Duper Studio and next door at Iver's

Solslottet Studio . Before crossing the mountains eastwards to Örebro into Fascination Street Studios where Jens Bogren will handle the mix.

The new material I feel is very powerful. The ENSLAVED signature is there, but there is a wild drive and a level of energy that makes me extremely excited. All five members have poured their dedication and souls into the preparations, and there are new sides to the band shown that will elevate this album." - Ivar Bjørnson

UTGARD - THE JOURNEY BEGINS *** First of all, we’d like to sincerely thank you for the warm reception of our latest publications about our upcoming new album ‘Utgard’! We understand that our recent communication also raised some questions and calls for transparent explanations. Let us reassure you that all of us are fine and in good health!
Due to the current situation, we took the decision together with our label Nuclear Blast to postpone the release of ‘Utgard’ to the fall. Therefore, as you can imagine, the whole schedule had to be adjusted quickly! We understand that seeing a video teaser followed by nothing has been confusing. As of today, we can announce that our first single and video will be released on May 22nd, and we can’t wait to share this new music with you all! We are sure you understand that this is for the best.
In the meantime, we’d like to tell you a little more about the ‘Utgard’ cover artwork! 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.

We are looking forward to sharing more news with you very soon. Take care and stay safe everyone!