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Skuggsjá - Ivar Bjørnson & Einar Selvik's Band To Release Debut Album


Enslaved guitarist/singer Ivar Bjørnson Peersen and drummer as well as Wardruna mainman Einar Selvik are finally taking their band Skuggsjá to the next level. The Norwegian band has just signed a deal with Season of Mist and these acclaimed musical masterminds will release their debut album in early 2016. Find out more about how this band came to be here. More details regarding this debut release will follow soon.

The Skuggsjá duo commented: "When we were asked to write a joined convert piece by the Eidsivablot festival for the 200th anniversary of the Norwegian constitution, we both immediately saw the outline of something massive and important. Our performance confirmed that this project should live on, develop and thrive. During 2015 we have performed the piece once more at the Roadburn festival, and have also discreetly slipped in and out of studios around Norway to record what is to become our debut album. We are extremely proud of what we will present on this album; and are delighted to be working with the professionals at Season of Mist. It has been quite a journey already for the two of us, but this where it really begins. We have created something that is bigger than its individual parts. Now we are excited to see what the world make out of our creation!"

Skuggsjá was conceived as a commissioned musical work written by Ivar Bjørnson and Einar Selvik. The arrangement was performed by Enslaved and Wardruna as a concert piece in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the Norwegian constitution at the Eidsivablot festival in Eidsvoll, Norway on September 13th, 2014. Shortly after this premiere, Skuggsjá was announced as one of the headliners of the 20th edition of Roadburn Festival 2015. The growing desire to present Skuggsjá to a broader audience has ultimately led Bjørnson and Selvik to record their work in its entirety.

Skuggsjá translates into 'mirror' or 'reflection' in the Norse language. This composition not only contextualises the role of extreme music in Norway's democracy in the year 2014, but also joins threads from the country's ancient musical history and solidifies the position of metal as Norway's most important cultural export.

By highlighting ideas, traditions and instruments of their Norse past, Skuggsjá tells the history of Norway and reflects relevant aspects from the past into the present day. In light of they reflect on themselves as a people and nation. In a magnificent tapestry of metal instrumentation, a wide variety of Norway's and Scandinavia's oldest instruments as well as poetry in Norse and Norwegian, Skuggsjá is a fusion between past and present, both lyrically and musically.

Line-up:
  • Ivar Bjørnson: vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards
  • Einar Selvik: vocals, taglharpa, Kravik-lyre, goat-horn, birch-bark lure, bone-flute, percussion, electronics

    Contributing musicians:
  • Grutle Kjellson: vocals
  • Lindy-Fay Hella: vocals
  • Eilif Gundersen: birch bark lure
  • Olav L. Mjelva: Harding fiddle
  • Cato Bekkevold: drums

    Skuggsjá will perform a special show in London in March 2016 as part of a three day event also featuring Enslaved, Wardruna, and many more Norse attractions.




    Source: facebook.com
    Band profile: Enslaved
  • Posted: 01.10.2015 by BloodTears


    Comments

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    Comments: 10   Visited by: 125 users
    01.10.2015 - 13:19
    Auntie Sahar
    Drone Empress
    Wonderful news. I didn't happen to catch their set at Roadburn this year (sorry guys, the ladies in Mortals had my attention!) but I was interested. Glad to see it wasn't just a one off thing for Roadburn and that they'll actually be collaborating on it together for the future. I'll definitely be checking this album out when it drops
    ----
    I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

    ~ II. VII
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    01.10.2015 - 14:51
    toxx
    Supreme being
    Written by Auntie Sahar on 01.10.2015 at 13:19

    Wonderful news. I didn't happen to catch their set at Roadburn this year (sorry guys, the ladies in Mortals had my attention!) but I was interested. Glad to see it wasn't just a one off thing for Roadburn and that they'll actually be collaborating on it together for the future. I'll definitely be checking this album out when it drops

    Wonderful news indeed! They actually performed at Eidsivablot in Norway last year as well, as part of the 200 year anniversary for the Norwegian constitution I wasn't able to attend, so I'm really glad this will be available on disk!
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    01.10.2015 - 18:59
    BloodTears
    ANA-thema
    Elite
    How is the music though? Anyone heard this live? Either way, I'm curious if it sounds anything like Enslaved.
    ----
    Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29

    Like you could kiss my ass.

    My Instagram
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    01.10.2015 - 20:01
    flightoficarus
    Stamp Tramp
    Sounds promising.
    ----
    Daily underground metal recommendations at Metal Trenches.
    Watch metal content on the Metal Trenches YouTube Channel.
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    01.10.2015 - 21:00
    Auntie Sahar
    Drone Empress
    Written by BloodTears on 01.10.2015 at 18:59

    How is the music though? Anyone heard this live? Either way, I'm curious if you sounds anything like Enslaved.

    I only caught about the last 10 minutes of their Roadburn set, but from what I concluded, it's a lot more oriented towards folk. So, no, not too much like Enslaved. I could end up being proven wrong by their debut though
    ----
    I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

    ~ II. VII
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    01.10.2015 - 21:22
    BloodTears
    ANA-thema
    Elite
    Written by Auntie Sahar on 01.10.2015 at 21:00

    Written by BloodTears on 01.10.2015 at 18:59

    How is the music though? Anyone heard this live? Either way, I'm curious if you sounds anything like Enslaved.

    I only caught about the last 10 minutes of their Roadburn set, but from what I concluded, it's a lot more oriented towards folk. So, no, not too much like Enslaved. I could end up being proven wrong by their debut though

    Okay, so maybe more like Wardruna? But yes, they could add different elements to the album.
    ----
    Written by BloodTears on 19.08.2011 at 18:29

    Like you could kiss my ass.

    My Instagram
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    01.10.2015 - 21:33
    Auntie Sahar
    Drone Empress
    Written by BloodTears on 01.10.2015 at 21:22

    Okay, so maybe more like Wardruna? But yes, they could add different elements to the album.

    Yeah, mostly. Honestly I don't really think the album will end up sounding too much like Enslaved, because the whole idea of this project is to kind of recreate the sound of Norway's past. So with that theme in mind, too much of a presence of metal on the album would just feel a little out of place... at least to me.
    ----
    I am the Magician and the Exorcist. I am the axle of the wheel, and the cube in the circle. “Come unto me” is a foolish word: for it is I that go.

    ~ II. VII
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    03.10.2015 - 04:32
    BitterCOld
    The Ancient One
    Admin
    Intriguing. looking forward to checking it out.
    ----
    get the fuck off my lawn.

    Beer Bug Virus Spotify Playlist crafted by Nikarg and I. Feel free to tune in and add some pertinent metal tunes!
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    08.10.2015 - 13:40
    Cageman
    Written by BloodTears on 01.10.2015 at 18:59

    How is the music though? Anyone heard this live? Either way, I'm curious if it sounds anything like Enslaved.

    I've heard the whole Roadburn show except for the last 10 minutes. It was about 60/40 Wardruna/Enslaved. However, when it was Enslaved, it was Enslaved with those huge horns and throat-singing over it. If I may predict, I think it will sound somewhere near a Norwegian version of Dordeduh. I'm pretty excited for this.
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    15.10.2015 - 15:22
    Vetrarnott
    Account deleted
    Written by Cageman on 08.10.2015 at 13:40

    Written by BloodTears on 01.10.2015 at 18:59

    How is the music though? Anyone heard this live? Either way, I'm curious if it sounds anything like Enslaved.

    I've heard the whole Roadburn show except for the last 10 minutes. It was about 60/40 Wardruna/Enslaved. However, when it was Enslaved, it was Enslaved with those huge horns and throat-singing over it. If I may predict, I think it will sound somewhere near a Norwegian version of Dordeduh. I'm pretty excited for this.

    Very little Enslaved in my opinion but that doesn't make it less exciting.
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