Checking in once again from Duper Studios in Bergen, members of Norwegian progressive extreme metallers ENSLAVED offer the fourth installment in the seven-part "Diary of Mad Men" series shedding insight into the band's upcoming as-yet-untitled thirteenth studio album, set for an early 2015 release.
"Wow, time flies when you're having a magical time," states ENSLAVED guitarist & composer Ivar Bjørnson. "Already Friday, and Cato [Bekkevold, drummer]is doing his last tracking already. It will be a lot more quiet around the studio from now on. Doing stuff live has the benefit of several things being done at the same time, so Grutle [Kjellson, bassist & vocalist] is beginning to move on to some double bass (!) additions and we're getting Ice Dale's guitars over from his studio and added to the main sessions. This is shaping up big time. Tomorrow is a day off, kind of. Me, Cato, and Iver [Sandøy, co-producer] are using the up-and-running studio to record drums for another project – more on that another time."
ENSLAVED bassist & vocalist Grutle Kjellson adds: "It is always a bit difficult - and that's the beauty of it - to exactly pinpoint the direction of a new album before the final mix is done! However, I feel that this one will be quite the darker effort compared to our latest releases. It is leaning towards both our heavier albums and the darker side of '70s Rock, long and interesting songs with a laser-sharp edge. I hope and believe our fans will embrace it."
Main recordings for the new album are taking place at Duper and Solslottet Studios in Bergen, Norway with additional recordings done at Conclave & Earshot Studios (presided over by ENSLAVED members Larsen and Ice Dale), and Ivar Bjørnson's Peersonal Sound Studios.
Additional experimentation and sonic exploration will be conducted deep in the woods of Valevåg south of Bergen where the band took a mobile studio to record the infamous "Thorn" 7" single in 2012.
Album number thirteen is being produced by band members Ivar Bjørnson, Grutle Kjellson & Herbrand Larsen together with Iver Sandøy. Mixing will be done by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden.
Artwork will be illustrated by long-time collaborating artist and "sixth ENSLAVED member" Truls Espedal, who has painted all seven album covers since 2001's Monumension.
2012's studio release, RIITIIR, garnered ENSLAVED a seventh nomination for a Spellemann Award (the Norwegian equivalent of the American Grammy) in the category of "Best Metal Album." They have won a Spellemann Award four consecutive times for the following four studio albums: Axioma Ethica Odini (2010), Vertebrae (2008), Ruun (2006), and Isa (2004).
RIITIIR debuted at #8 on the American Billboard Heatseekers (New Artists) chart in October 2012 and appeared on numerous "Best Albums of 2012" lists around the world. It can be purchased in CD & vinyl format from the album's Landing Page, from the Nuclear Blast USA Webshop, and digitally from iTunes & AmazonMP3.
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