Enslaved seems to have spent the better part of 2017 in the studio, and now the band is finally unveiling the fruits of its efforts! Enslaved will release its new album E on October 13 via Nuclear Blast Records, which "offers a unprecedented mix of prog, extreme metal and shoegaze on 8 tracks with a play time of more than an hour."
The album is the first to feature keyboardist and clean vocalist Håkon Vinje, who replaces longtime member Herbrand Larsen after his departure last year. E was mixed and mastered at Fascination Street Studios by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Katatonia, etc.), and will feature guest musicians such as Wardruna's Einar Kvitrafn Selvik, flutist Daniel Mage and jazz saxophonist Kjetil Møster.
Here's how Ivar Bjørnson explains the album!
"The concept of the album lies in both it’s meaning as a letter in the latin alphabet, and it’s runic reference: the rune "Ehwaz", that is depicted as an "M" when drawn as rune (just to make sure it gets really confusing) – the runes are drawn to look like what they literally mean. Ehwaz (pronounced and used as what's known as E, but drawn as an “M”) looks like and means 'horse'. Which is closely linked to its esoteric meaning; which is 'trust' and 'co-operation'. One of mankind's oldest and deepest pairings/collaborations with any "outside" entities is with the horse. When they were first tamed and utilised there must have arisen the notion of some esoteric link between the two; now we could move swiftly, escape faster and even eat and drink from the animal (both horse milk and horse blood), and of course show off and brag before our enemies and peers with the most spectacular horses.
So, no, it is not about horses! It is about the symbioses that surrounds us; which are vital to our existence, to our development – on all scales: man and vessel (for instance horse, yes), a person and its significant other, child and parent, musician and instrument, chaos and order, subconscious and conscious, Oden and Sleipnir – wisdom and communication. There are many levels and variations of this concept on the album; the duality of man and nature, present and past personalities within one self, the conscious fear and the subconscious drive. And other symbiosis."
A single from E is due out this Friday, and you can check out the awesome artwork for the album done by Truls Espedal below.
