Norway’s premier progressive black metallers Enslaved have released the second single ‘Jettegryta’ from their upcoming studio album Utgard. The single is accompanied by a frost-bitten video, in which an Icelandic pristine glacial landscape is darkened by sinister events. Today, the band have also launched pre-orders for Utgard, which will be released on October 2nd via Nuclear Blast Records.
Singer Grutle Kjellson commented on the video: “Iceland was the perfect place to shoot the video for Jettegryta. Jettegryta translates to Giant´s Cauldron and refers to a phenomenon in nature, where rivers/running water – over a long period – create an often cylindrical hole in solid rock. In ancient Norse folklore, the Jette/Jotun (giants) made these cauldrons to cook in. Although these particular nature phenomena don’t exist on the volcanic island of Iceland, there are plenty of other places on this magical island that could lead to the dwelling of the giants! When Norse settlers came to Iceland in the 8th and 9th century, the fumes and fog from the hot streams and the volcanos clearly told them that this island was inhabited by elves, dwarves and giants! This reminded them of the stories of Utgard. To them, Iceland was on the doorsteps of Utgard, the outer borders of the world of men; a gateway. The lyrics of the song deal with entering such a mythological and esoteric place; deep within your own mind and imagination, a gateway into the dreams, the unconscious and the realm of chaos. We have tried to transform these words into this clip, and maybe you can feel a glimpse of what those early Icelanders felt when they first entered this realm!”
This track rages on with some great rhythmic and a screamed vocal announce this track to your ears. The track carries the force of the dead with it and delves into the fantasy of its lyrics. The addition of the clean vocals from Grutle and then a hammond organ shows the bands ability to add elements from outside the black metal spectrum. There is still plenty of creative inspiration within this band and long may it continue.
Check it out, here
Find out more about the band via their Website or Facebook
Pre-order the album here
Utgard tracklisting:
1. Fires In The Dark
2. Jettegryta
3. Sequence
4. Homebound
5. Utgardr
6. Urjotun
7. Flight Of Thought And Memory
8. Storms Of Utgard
9. Distant Seasons
Last month Enslaved announced their Cinematic Summer Tour – an innovative digital tour comprised of three online events, in conjunction with three of Europe’s leading festivals. Enslaved will present fans with three different shows:
Jul 30th Roadburn: “Chronicles Of The Northbound” show
Aug 20th Beyond The Gates: “Below The Lights” show
Sept 30th Summer Breeze: “Utgard – The Journey Within“ show
All shows will be streamed here: http://nblast.de/EnslavedYouTube
For more information head here: http://enslaved.no/cinematic-summer-tour-2020/
