| Delusions of Grandeur | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 25, 2013 | |||
| Recorded | Earshot Studio, Grieghallen Studio and Mackverk Studio, Bergen, Norway. 2013 | |||
| Genre | Doom metal, stoner rock, psychedelic rock, space rock | |||
| Length | 46:39 | |||
| Label | Indie | |||
| Producer | Iver Sandøy | |||
| Sahg chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Delusions of Grandeur | ||||
Delusions of Grandeur is the fourth studio album by the Norwegian heavy metal band Sahg, released on October 25, 2013, under the Norwegian record label Indie Recordings.
It is the first concept album of the band, with the delusions of grandeur theme or megalomania. [3]
Kvitrafn, original drummer of the band, collaborated in recording of "Walls Of Delusion". The album is the last with the original guitarist Thomas Tofthagen, who left Sahg in order to concentrate solely on his other band Audrey Horne in 2015.
An animated music video was made for "Slip off the Edge of the Universe", directed by Alexander Lillevik.
On February 12, 2014, Metal Blade Records premiered the song "Firechild" from the album in North America on the music blog lastrit.es, [4] ahead of its official North American release on February 18, 2014.
Delusions of Grandeur marks a turning point towards a more experimental sound and a psychedelic stoner rock genre, radically different from the traditional heavy metal style of the previous three albums of the band.
The lyrics tells the tale of a man who slowly loses grasp of everything he has learned and experienced throughout his life and enters a vast imaginary state where he experiences increasingly severe delusions of grandeur.
The cover art (created by illustrator Robert Høyem) presents an imaginary astronaut on a psychedelic colorful background and geometric shapes. In this regard, Olav Iversen said in an interview:
It’s not a direct criticism of the space programs, it’s more a metaphor, like you say. But you can think about trying to explore and invade space if you like. You can look upon that as a delusion of grandeur as well. Before it happened, I guess a lot of people were thinking about it as delusions of grandeur: “No, it’s never gonna happen, they will never land on the Moon” and all that, but it happened. That space atmosphere is more a metaphor of the universe that this person we tell the story about ends up in because he kind of drifts off reality, and isolates himself into his own mental universe where he can become the most powerful creature. [5]
All lyrics are written by Olav Iversen; all music is composed by Sahg, except where noted
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Slip Off The Edge Of The Universe" | 5:54 | |
| 2. | "Blizzardborne" | 5:36 | |
| 3. | "Firechild" | 5:05 | |
| 4. | "Walls Of Delusion" | 6:27 | |
| 5. | "Ether" | Iversen, Vetaas | 5:09 |
| 6. | "Then Wakens The Beast" | 4:42 | |
| 7. | "Odium Delirium" (Instrumental) | 2:33 | |
| 8. | "Sleeper's Gate To The Galaxy" | 11;38 | |
| Total length: | 46:39 | ||
Audrey Horne is a hard rock band from Bergen, Norway. Formed in 2002, the band took its name from Sherilyn Fenn's character in the TV series Twin Peaks. The band's musical style is a mixture of heavy and melodic classic rock, inspired by Iron Maiden, Kiss, Ozzy Osbourne, Van Halen, Mötley Crüe, Deep Purple and Led Zeppelin. As of 2022, Audrey Horne has released seven studio albums, one live album and one EP.
Sahg is a three-piece Norwegian hard rock/doom metal band formed in Bergen in the summer of 2004, by key figures in the metal scene of their country: Tom Cato Visnes, Einar Selvik (Kvitrafn), Olav Iversen and Thomas Tofthagen. Iversen has been the main songwriter and the only constant member of the band since its inception.
Wardruna is a Norwegian music group formed in 2003 by Einar Selvik along with Gaahl and Lindy-Fay Hella. They are dedicated to creating musical renditions of Norse cultural and esoteric traditions, and make significant use of Nordic historical and traditional instruments including deer-hide frame drums, flutes, kraviklyra, tagelharpe, mouth harp, goat horn, and lur. Non-traditional instruments and other sources of sound like trees, rocks, water, and torches are also used.
Delusions of grandeur may refer to:
Runaljod – Gap var ginnunga is the first album by Norwegian Nordic folk group Wardruna. It was released 19 January 2009 by Indie Recordings/Fimbulljóð Productions.
Ænigma is the third album by Norwegian progressive death metal band In Vain. It was released on March 11, 2013 by Indie Recordings. The album was recorded at the Strand Studio, in Kristiansand, between September and December 2012. The album was mixed and mastered in Fascination Street Studios in Sweden.
Evocation is a Swedish death metal band from Borås.
Illusions of Grandeur is the fourth studio album by Swedish death metal band Evocation. It was released on 24 September 2012 through Century Media Records. It was released on CD and vinyl.
I is the debut album by the Norwegian doom metal band Sahg, released on March 1, 2006, under the Swedish record label Regain Records.
II is the second studio album by the Norwegian hard rock band Sahg, released on March 18, 2008, under the Swedish record label Regain Records.
III is the third studio album by the Norwegian hard rock band Sahg, released on August 23, 2010, under the Norwegian record label Indie Recordings.
Memento Mori is the fifth studio album by the Norwegian heavy metal band Sahg, released on September 23, 2016 under Indie Recordings. The album features two new band members: drummer Mads Lilletvedt and guitarist Ole Walaunet.
Olav Iversen is a Norwegian heavy metal singer-songwriter and musician. He is better known as a founding member and the guitarist, lead vocalist, and primary songwriter of the rock band Sahg, as well as its only constant member.
Thomas Odd Tofthagen is a Norwegian guitarist, best known for his work in rock bands Audrey Horne and Sahg. He is one of the main songwriters in Audrey Horne and has released seven studio albums with the band, in addition to winning a Norwegian Spellemann Award. Apart from his work in music, Tofthagen works full-time as an architect.
Runaljod – Ragnarok is the third album by the Norwegian Nordic folk band Wardruna, released on 21 October 2016 by Indie Recordings/By Norse Music. It is the final chapter of the trilogy Runaljod, inspired by the 24 ancient runes of the Elder Futhark.
E is the fourteenth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on October 13, 2017 by Nuclear Blast.
Blackout is the sixth album by Norwegian rock band Audrey Horne, released in 2018.
Youngblood is the fourth album by Norwegian rock band Audrey Horne, released in 2013. The album marked a stark change in direction for the band, who largely abandoned the post-grunge style typical of their previous albums in favor of a double lead guitar harmony sound, reminiscent of bands such as Thin Lizzy.
Pure Heavy is the fifth album by Norwegian rock band Audrey Horne, released in 2014. It continued the double lead guitar harmony sound that the band moved into with their previous effort, Youngblood.
Utgard is the fifteenth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved, released 2 October 2020 by Nuclear Blast.
