SKELETONWITCH Confirms 2014 Tour With Amon Amarth + Enslaved

Although their busy Fall itinerary -- which includes tours alongside Ghost B.C. and The Black Dahlia Murder -- is their immediate focus, blackened metal heathens SKELETONWITCH are already looking ahead to 2014 with a massive month-long trek alongside Amon Amarth and Enslaved that will take the Ohio quintet to many markets they will not hit during their Autumn takeover. Tickets go on sale this Friday. Find a complete list of the group's upcoming concerts below. 

Comments guitarist Scott Hedrick of the New Year run, "We forged a friendship with Amon Amarth about five years ago when we first toured together and have had the chance to hang with Enslaved at European festivals. We're fans of both bands, and all those guys rule. It takes a tour to another level when there's that much camaraderie, and we can't think of a better way to tour Serpents Unleashedthis Winter. Good bands, good beards, and (hopefully) good beers. See you guys soon!"

Last month, SKELETONWITCH unveiled "Burned From Bone," the first taste of the their highly anticipated new album, Serpents Unleashed. You can still text SERPENTS to 24587 to obtain a free download of the track. Recorded with Kurt Ballou (Converge, Isis, Kvelertak) earlier this year, Serpents Unleashed -- which will come available in CD, LP, cassette, digital download and limited edition 7-inch collector's box formats -- will be unleashed in North America on October 29th, in Australia, Germany, Austria and Switzerland on October 25th and in the UK and the rest of Europe on October 28th. Check out parts one and two in a series of Serpents Unleashed making-of webisodes HERE and HERE.

And if you're jonesing for more, another new tune from Serpents Unleashed -- hailed by Decibel as the band's "best effort to date" -- will premiere on Liquid Metal with Jose on SiriusXM channel 40 today between 3:00:PM - 9:00PM EST. Additionally, the world premiere of the group's newest music video will take place tomorrow! Stay tuned for details.

SKELETONWITCH
10/04/2013 Majestic Theatre - Madison, WI w/ Ghost B.C.
10/05/2013 Frank's Power Plant - Milwaukee, WI SKELETONWITCH only
10/06/2013 Smith's Downtown - Mishawaka, IN SKELETONWITCH only
10/07/2013 Newport Music Hall - Columbus, OH w/ Ghost B.C.
10/14/2013 Bijou Theatre - Knoxville, TN w/ Ghost B.C.
w/ The Black Dahlia Murder, Fallujah, Noisem
10/24/2013 Peabody's Concert Club - Cleveland, OH
10/25/2013 Chameleon Club - Lancaster, PA
10/26/2013 Knitting Factory - Brooklyn, NY
10/27/2013 The Met - Pawtucket, RI
10/28/2013 Higher Ground - Burlington, VT
10/29/2013 Le Cercle - Quebec City, QC
10/30/2013 La Tulipe - Montreal, QC
10/31/2013 Ritual - Ottawa, ON
11/01/2013 Rum Runners - London, ON
11/02/2013 Mod Club - Toronto, ON
11/04/2013 Crocks - Thunder Bay, ON
11/06/2013 West End Cultural Centre - Winnipeg, MB
11/07/2013 Louis' Pub - Saskatoon, SK
11/08/2013 Avenue Theatre - Edmonton, AB
11/09/2013 The Den - Calgary, AB
11/11/2013 The Biltmore Cabaret - Vancouver, BC
11/12/2013 The Center - Spokane, WA
11/13/2013 WOW Hall - Eugene, OR
11/14/2013 Whiskey Dick's Saloon - South Lake Tahoe, CA
11/15/2013 Strummer's - Fresno, CA
11/16/2013 Glasshouse - Pomona, CA
11/17/2013 The Rock - Tucson, AZ
11/18/2013 Tricky Falls - El Paso, TX
11/19/2013 Club Patron - Odessa, TX
w/ The Black Dahlia Murder, Fallujah, Wolvhammer
11/20/2013 Conservatory - Oklahoma City, OK
11/21/2013 Outland Ballroom - Springfield, MO
11/22/2013 Firebird - St. Louis, MO
11/23/2013 Blue Moose - Iowa City, IA
11/24/2013 The Castle Theatre - Bloomington, IL
11/25/2013 Mojoes of Joliet - Joliet, IL
11/26/2013 The Intersection - Grand Rapids, MI
11/27/2013 The Machine Shop - Flint, MI

SKELETONWITCH

w/ Amon Amarth, Enslaved

1/17/2014 House of Blues - Las Vegas, NV

1/18/2014 Club Red - Phoenix, AZ
1/20/2014 Backstage Live - San Antonio, TX
1/21/2014 House of Blues - Dallas, TX
1/22/2014 House of Blues - Houston, TX
1/24/2014 Center Stage - Atlanta, GA
1/25/2014 The Ritz - Tampa, FL

1/26/2014 Revolution - Ft. Lauderdale, FL 

1/29/2014 The Fillmore - Charlotte, NC

1/30/2014 NorVA - Norfolk, VA

1/31/2014 The Fillmore - Silver Springs, MD

2/01/2014 House of Blues - Boston, MA

2/03/2014 TLA - Philadelphia, PA

2/04/2014 Irving Plaza - New York, NY 

2/07/2014 House of Blues - Chicago, IL

2/08/2014 Mill City Nights - Minneapolis, MN

2/09/2014 Grenada Theatre - Lawrence, KS

2/11/2014 Summit Theatre - Denver, CO

2/12/2014 Murray Theater - Salt Lake City, UT

2/14/2014 The Regency - San Francisco, CA

2/15/2014 Wiltern - Los Angeles, CA
w/ Amon Amarth
2/16/2014 House of Blues - San Diego, CA

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ENSLAVED streams "Thoughts Like Hammers"

ENSLAVED have posted a new song online for "Thoughts Like Hammers". The track appears on the bands's 12th album, RIITIIR, a self, "Norse-ified" title meaning "The Rites of Man." RIITIIR have release date for  Sept. 28 in Europe and Oct. 9 in North America on Nuclear Blast. "Thoughts Like Hammers" can be listen below, via NB soundcloud player.

01. Thoughts Like Hammers
02. Death In The Eyes Of Dawn
03. Veilburner
04. Roots Of The Mountain
05. Riitiir
06. Materal
07. Storm Of Memories
08. Forsaken

The track listing for the "RIITIIR" 2LP double-gatefold is as follows:

Side A:
01. Thoughts Like Hammers
02. Death In The Eyes Of Dawn

Side B:
01. Veilburner
02. Roots Of The Mountain

Side C:
01. Riitiir
02. Materal

Side D:
01. Storm Of Memories
02. Forsaken

ENSLAVED Sign Deal With NUCLEAR BLAST for Worldwide

Nuclear Blast has announced the addition of progressive/psychedelic black metal band ENSLAVED to their worldwide roster. After two successful campaigns in North America with Nuclear Blast USA (via exclusive license from Norway’s Indie Recordings) for their past two albums, 2008’s Vertebrae and 2010’s Axioma Ethica Odini, ENSLAVED have signed a worldwide deal.

 From their home base in Norway, the band comments:
“We’re very, very (yes, very) pleased and proud to sign this deal with Nuclear Blast worldwide. We’ve already worked with Nuclear Blast US through our two latest albums and our personal friendships with NB guys and gals on both sides of the Atlantic are even older. There’s no drama – we take great pride in the fact that there seldom is with us; it is simply a matter of one contract ending and us going for what seems to be our best option at this point in time and space. This time, the best choice for ENSLAVED is changing things up somewhat. We’re excited to see what the mixture of passion and professionalism at Nuclear Blast can do with the ENSLAVED name in the years to come. There is no doubt that the level of ambition, the experience and seriousness about what we do form perfect common ground for ENSLAVED and Nuclear Blast. We’re in the process of making a new album that will initiate our new partnership. Watch out for the approaching wave of news about that. For now, let’s just say that the album will be an absolute (Nuclear) blast!”

Gerardo Martínez, Label Manager for Nuclear Blast USA, adds:
“ENSLAVED is one of the most amazing bands to ever come from Norway. We’ve had the pleasure of working with them on their last two albums in North America, and from this day forth, worldwide. Looking forward their new masterpiece to be unleashed to the masses later in the year!”

ENSLAVED’s new album will be released this fall.

IV EDIÇÃO DO FESTIVAL VAGOS OPEN AIR - OVERKILL e ENSLAVED Confirmados!

3 E 4 DE AGOSTO - LAGOA DE CALVÃO - VAGOS

Os thrashers norte-americanos OVERKILL e os enigmáticos noruegueses ENSLAVED são os primeiros nomes confirmados para a IV Edição do VAGOS OPEN AIR e prometem tornar os dias 3 e 4 de Agosto de 2012 ainda mais quentes na idílica Lagoa de Calvão. Ambos têm já o seu lugar assegurado no panteão do metal e são dignos representantes de duas décadas cruciais na história do género, servindo como um óptimo presságio para um evento que vai, uma vez mais, transformar a zona de Vagos num ponto de paragem obrigatório para quem gosta de boa música pesada. Quatro anos depois de ter dado os primeiros passos, o VAGOS OPEN AIR transformou-se no mais importante festival de Verão para todos aqueles que, em território nacional e no país vizinho, gostam de extremismo sonoro nas suas mais variadas vertentes. Revelando desde o primeiro momento uma aposta clara na qualidade em oposição à quantidade, num ponderado equilíbrio entre nomes consagrados e novos talentos e em sucessivas melhorias nas infraestruturas para receber o público, o evento tem crescido a olhos vistos e promete continuar a desenhar uma curva ascendente com o cartaz que começa agora a tomar forma para o próximo ano – na sequência da sua edição mais concorrida de sempre, encabeçada há escassos meses pelos Opeth e Morbid Angel.

Injusta e recorrentemente ignorados quando se fala dos grandes nomes do thrash, os nova-iorquinos OVERKILL são das poucas bandas dentro do género que nunca pararam, nem comprometeram a sua atitude ou sonoridade para chegar a uma audiência mais vasta. Ao longo das últimas três décadas, o grupo encabeçado pelos carismáticos Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworh e D.D. Verni construiu uma carreira sólida, com lançamentos regulares e, apesar de nunca ter atingido os mesmos níveis de sucesso mainstream que alguns dos seus pares, goza de um estatuto de culto invejável e de um respeito imenso por parte de quem se manteve fiel aos ideais do thrash como ele era nos anos 80. No fundo de catálogo do quinteto agora formado por “Blitz”, Verni, Dave Linsk, Derek Tailer e Ron Lipnicki contam-se já quinze álbuns – o mais recente é «Ironbound», do ano passado – e alguns registos ao vivo, que dão provas do quão explosivos continuam a ser em palco.

Oriundos da cidade portuária de Bergen, discípulos da atitude viking que o sueco Quorthon trouxe para o heavy metal com os seus Bathory e da herança pagã dos seus antepassados, os ENSLAVED desde cedo se destacaram por entre o turbilhão de projectos de black metal que surgiram na Noruega, na primeira metade da década de 90, como cogumelos selvagens. Os músicos liderados por Ivar Bjørnson e Grutle Kjellson – a formação sofreu mudanças ao longo dos anos e atualmente fica completa com Arve Isdal, Cato Bekkevold e Herbrand Larsen – rapidamente se distanciaram dos seus competidores mais próximos, adoptando uma atitude mais experimental, que cedo lhes deu uma identidade própria. Com uma discografia sempre em crescendo, da estreia «Hordanes Land» aos recentes EPs «The Sleeping Gods» e «Thorn», são hoje um dos mais bem-sucedidos porta-estandartes do metal extremo mais progressivo, desafiante e pintado em tons escuros. Conhecidos por assinarem espetáculos que têm tanto de mágico como de hipnotizante, vão funcionar como uma brisa de ar fresco numa noite que se quer escaldante.

Bilhetes à venda brevemente nos locais habituais.

Mais Informações:

Website

press@vagosopenair.eu

Enslaved: Videos of the Show in California!

The "Search & Destroy" released videos show held on 14 October this year in California, United States, by Enslaved. Watch below.

Earlier this year the band released "The Sleeping Gods" via Scion A / V as a five-song EP for free download.

The ENSLAVED was honored in the category "Metal" of the 39th Annual Award Spellemann (the Norwegian equivalent to the Grammy Awards). The largest and oldest Norwegian music awards was held on March 5 in the Spektrum in Oslo, Norway and was broadcast live on the Norwegian channel TV2. This marks the fourth consecutive year that the band won the Spellemann award in the category  "Metal".


Source in Portuguese

First Blood - Enslaved (New Song 2010)

500.000 rock & metal videos on ROCKTUBE and METALHEAD

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ENSLAVED - AXIOMA ETHICA ODINI - ALBUM ARTWORK UNVEILED!

The artwork by Norwegian artist Truls Espedal for Axioma Ethica Odini , the eleventh studio album by Norway's highly renowned progressive, psychedelic black metal band ENSLAVED, is now up on the band's MySpace page.

The album will be released in Europe via Indie Recordings on September 27th and in North America on September 28, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records.

ENSLAVED bassist & vocalist Grutle Kjellson has this to say about collaborating with the man who has painted every ENSLAVED album cover since 2001's Monumension:

On every new album cover, me and [rhythm guitarist/songwriter] Ivar [Bjørnson] come up with the idea of what the cover art shall include in terms of elements, symbolism and so forth. After that, we contactTruls and tell him about our ideas for the cover art. Then we arrange a meeting where we sit down for a couple of hours making sketches. Truls also has the opportunity to come up with his own ideas of how we can transform our original ideas the best possible way. He has made a masterpiece this time as well! The cover art is simply amazing! Amazing

Artist/painter Truls Espedal reveals how much black paint was used for the artwork's creation and shares his thoughts on being back in action with ENSLAVED:

I'm always excited about working with ENSLAVED, which is the reason I feel that too much time goes by between releases ha,ha! But once again I sat down with Ivar andGrutle , and their ideas were more complex and interesting than ever. Also, their expectations and confidence that I'm able to come up with something better than before pushes me to set the bar even higher. This time around, we set out to expand further what we have done on earlier works: adding more textures and mixing the figurative paintings with the 'symbolic' design even more. By doing this, I feel that we are able to convey a lot more atmosphere, story, and a visually more interesting cover throughout. Hopefully, other people will think the same. It's really important for me that the artwork is handcrafted and that the printed images on the CD and vinyl versions really show the brush strokes and have that feel to them. That is a big issue! And about the amount of black paint I used - a lot. Good times.

Produced by Bjørnson, Kjellson, and keyboardist/backing vocalist Herbrand Larsen, the groundwork for Axioma Ethica Odini was recorded at three different studios in Bergen, Norway: 1) Duper Studios; 2) Earshot Studios (belonging to ENSLAVED members Larsen and lead guitarist Ice Dale); and 3) Peersonal Sound (owned by Bjørnson).

The album was mixed by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Bloodbath, Amon Amarth, Eluveitie) at Fascination Street Studios in Orebro, Sweden and mastered by Chris Sansom (Mortiis) at Propeller Music Division in Oslo, Norway.

Axioma Ethica Odini is the follow-up to 2008's Vertebrae, which sold over 1,100 copies its first week of release in North America according to Nielsen SoundScan and debuted on the American Billboard Hard Music chart at #11 and on the Billboard Heatseekers chart at #49. Vertebraealso won Terrorizer Magazine's coveted 'Album of the Year' award for 2008. In their native Norway, Vertebrae entered the official charts at #20 and earned ENSLAVED their third consecutive Spellemann award (the Norwegian equivalent of a Grammy).

ENSLAVED will embark on a 7-show "Circling Above and Within Tour" of Europe beginning October 15th.

GET MUSIC AT:

iTunes

Amazon

Amazon MP3

Nuclear Blast USA

Nuclear Blast EUROPE

Local Record Stores

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ENSLAVED - ENTER THE STUDIO + INDUCTED INTO DECIBEL's HALL OF FAME

Norway's ENSLAVEDchecks in from the studio:

"Hello there. This is a short blog from the studio; where we –ENSLAVED – have started to record our new album yesterday. We are doing the drums in Duper Studios here in Bergen – this time around we are recording everything in our hometown, something we last did with..."

Read the full studio blog:

Hello there. This is a short blog from the studio; where we – Enslaved – have started to record our new album yesterday. We are doing the drums in Duper Studios here in Bergen – this time around we are recording everything in our hometown, something we last did with “Isa”. Iver Sandøy (Trinacria, Manngard, Emmerhoff & T.M.B.) is engineering the drum recording; and we feel we are in very good hands. The remaining instruments will be recorded in Herbrand and Ice Dale’s Earshot Studio, with a few small exceptions done in Peersonal Sound (my own studio). We’re starting off as we always do; with me and Cato going in first. The session started out beautifully with the perfect starting point for the drum sound and the first song being laid down by Cato. This song is a musical and lyrical contemplation on a rune - one associated with travel... We'll get back to more on the songs later!

After “Vertebrae” it has been a hectic period, with shows, tours and everything that is going on around the band. Yet it has been a remarkably self-energizing process making this new album. For starters, the dynamics have never been better, both literally in the music - and metaphorically, meaning the working climate within the band. Writing music is rewarding when you know the other members will take your ideas seriously and give everything they’ve got to make the best out of every single idea. The amazing feedback we’ve gotten after “Vertebrae” hasn’t exactly made us more modest; we picked up some very valuable confidence from that. A third pillar of inspiration is the continuing ideological struggle against the dogmas: political, monotheistic, moral dogmas that keep getting a stronger and stronger chokehold on man. Some dangers are growing while others are on the rebound (for now). Enslaved is an ongoing project to channel alternative currents; resistance to those trying to force-fit the mind into the tiny squares of one-doms and tyrannies.

After all that hot air, I’ve asked Cato to provide some thoughts on the new material and the recording process:
“Hi there! We started yesterday to set the sound, and from there on the drums for two songs were nailed. Today, on the second day, we started at noon and worked our way through three more songs. Iver is very easy (to work with) and we are really getting payback for the work put in advance of the recording. I am in other words getting close to finishing my part of the album, and that’s fine by me-I would climb the walls if the whole session would take anything more than a week. The songs are, like always, pretty varied both in mood, speed and style. The cool thing is that none of us actually don’t know how it’s gonna turn out in the very end. What ideas Ice Dale has for guitar solos only he knows.
-Cato"

There’s a long journey ahead before the release, we’ll try and keep you posted on how it is coming along; including information about album title, track names, artwork, dates etc.

On the turning-away,

Ivar & Enslaved

In other news:

ENSLAVED’s FROST ALBUM INDUCTED INTO DECIBEL MAGAZINE’S HALL OF FAME

Chris Dick, scribe for Decibel Magazine and author of "Long Cold Winter: The Making of ENSLAVED’s Frost" - the 60th installment in the ongoing Hall of Fame series which “explores landmark albums in the bad-ass pantheon of extreme metal” - begins his article with this proclamation:

“If black metal was defined by a single year, it would have to be 1994. Not a single calendar year before or after could possibly complete with – in sound, vision and diversity – De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas, In The Nightside Eclipse, Hvis Lyset Tar Oss, Suomi Finland Perkele, The Shadowthrone, Bergtatt, Transilvanian Hunger, and Opus Nocturne.

Though the second wave of black metal had crashed a few years before, the biggest wave was in 1994. And with it, the second wave of Viking metal.”

Get the inside story on Frost (originally released by Osmose in August, 1994) from the band members themselves. The article is available in the February issue of Decibel Magazine, on newsstands now & available for direct purchase here.

Purchase Vertebrae at:

BUY - NB USA
BUY - NB EUROPE
BUY - iTunes
BUY - Amazon
BUY - Amazon MP3

Enslaved MySpace Page

Enslaved Facebook Page

Enslaved - Isa