| Utgard | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 2 October 2020 | |||
| Recorded | 2019 | |||
| Genre | Progressive black metal | |||
| Length | 44:46 | |||
| Label | Nuclear Blast | |||
| Producer | Iver Sandøy, Ivar Bjørnson, Grutle Kjellson | |||
| Enslaved chronology | ||||
| ||||
Utgard is the fifteenth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved, released 2 October 2020 by Nuclear Blast. [1]
Utgard is the first Enslaved album with new drummer Iver Sandøy, who had previously co-produced several of the band's albums and joined full-time following the departure of longtime drummer Cato Bekkevold in 2018. [2] The album was originally scheduled for release in early 2020, but was delayed until October of that year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [3] [4]
The album is titled after a location in Norse mythology [5] and includes some Norse lyrics and song titles. [6] A video, filmed in Iceland, was released for the song "Jettegryta". [6] Utgard continues to display some of the band's early black metal roots while continuing their experimentation with 1970s progressive rock. [6]
The album received mostly positive reviews upon its release. Kerrang! noted that "Enslaved take the listener through a frightening landscape in Norse mythology where the gods have no control and chaos reigns" and called the band "masters" and "elder statesmen" of progressive black metal. [7] Blabbermouth noted that the album "feels like the true culmination of Enslaved's ascendancy to the throne of modern prog-metal wizardry." [5] The Prog division of Loudersound concluded that Utgard is the ultimate result of musical experiments that the band had been conducting over their past several albums. [8] In the words of Antihero, "Enslaved deliver their elite brand of Prog/Extreme Metal that they have so meticulously hammered out over the past three decades." [9] Metal Hammer named it as the 9th best metal album of 2020. [10]
All tracks are written by Ivar Bjørnson (under the name I. Peersen); except tracks 1, 4, 6, 7 with lyrics by Grutle Kjellson (under the name K. Grutle)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Fires in the Dark" | 6:00 |
| 2. | "Jettegryta" | 4:56 |
| 3. | "Sequence" | 6:39 |
| 4. | "Homebound" | 5:30 |
| 5. | "Útgarðr" | 1:51 |
| 6. | "Urjotun" | 4:21 |
| 7. | "Flight of Thought and Memory" | 6:22 |
| 8. | "Storms of Utgard" | 4:38 |
| 9. | "Distant Seasons" | 4:31 |
| Total length: | 44:46 | |
Additional personnel:
| Chart (2020) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [11] | 59 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [12] | 162 |
| Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [13] | 59 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen virallinen lista) [14] | 42 |
| German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [15] | 30 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) [16] | 48 |
Enslaved is a Norwegian extreme metal band formed by Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson in Haugesund in 1991. They are currently based in Bergen. The band's lineup has changed many times over the years, and Bjørnson and Kjellson have been the sole constant members. The current lineup also includes lead guitarist Arve Isdal, keyboardist/singer Håkon Vinje, and drummer Iver Sandøy.
Hordanes Land is the debut EP by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released in May 1993, through Candlelight Records, and was also released as a split album a few weeks later with Emperor's self-titled EP. It was a key release in the development of Viking metal.
Vikingligr Veldi is the debut studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released in 1994, through Deathlike Silence Productions, the record label run by Euronymous, who was murdered before the album's release. The album is dedicated to him.
Frost is the second studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released in 1994, through Osmose Productions.
Eld is the third studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on 17 March 1997, through Osmose Productions.
Blodhemn is the fourth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on 28 October 1998, through Osmose Productions.
Monumension is the sixth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on 19 November 2001, through Osmose Productions. It is Enslaved's first album to feature lyrics sung entirely in English, although some versions of the album include the Old Norse track "Sigmundskvadet" as a bonus.
Below the Lights is the seventh studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on 5 May 2003. Beyond it being their last full-length for production company Osmose, a few lineup changes would take place. This would be the last album Enslaved recorded with Dirge Rep on drums, and the first album featuring Arve Isdal as lead guitarist. They would also enlist a full-time keyboardist in Herbrand Larsen, bringing the band personnel from four to five.
Isa is the eighth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on 20 October 2004 in Norway and 8 November 2004 in Europe by Tabu Recordings and on 7 February 2005 in the US by Candlelight Records. Several tracks segue continuously into one another and the majority of compositions are composed of multiple interlocking movements.
Ruun is the ninth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on 2 May 2006 in the US, 8 May 2006 in Norway and 22 May 2006 in Europe. It was given Norway's 2006 Spellemann award for best achievement in the "metal" genre.
Kjetil Tvedte Grutle, better known as Grutle Kjellson, is the bassist and vocalist of the Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. Together with Ivar Bjørnson, they are the founding and the only constant members, as well as the main songwriters of the band.
Ivar Skontorp Peersen, best known by his stage name Ivar Bjørnson, is a Norwegian composer/guitarist for the extreme metal band Enslaved.
Apollyon is a black metal/thrash metal multi-instrumentalist, formerly associated with Dødheimsgard and Cadaver, now playing in Aura Noir and also Immortal after its reforming in 2006. He has done guest vocals on the Darkthrone albums Plaguewielder and Sardonic Wrath, and also on Audiopain's EP 1986 (2000). He was a live guitarist for Gorgoroth from 2003 to 2004, and performed at Gorgoroth's now infamous Kraków gig in February 2004. In 2004 Apollyon participated in a live tribute to Quorthon of Bathory at the Hole in the Sky festival in Bergen, Norway. Apollyon played bass on all songs, and also did the vocals on the song Equimanthorn. In addition to Apollyon, the line-up of this tribute band consisted of Bård Faust (ex-Emperor) on drums and Ivar Bjørnson (Enslaved) and Samoth (Emperor) on guitars, as well as guest vocalists Gaahl (Gorgoroth), Abbath (Immortal), Grutle Kjellson (Enslaved), Nocturno Culto (Darkthrone) and Satyr (Satyricon).
Vertebrae is the tenth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on 29 September 2008 by Indie Recordings in Europe and on 28 October 2008 by Nuclear Blast in the US, Enslaved's first album on both labels. It was named as Album of the Year by Terrorizer and was awarded the Norwegian "Spellemannprisen" for best metal album. The album sold approximately 1,100 copies in its first week in the United States, reaching number 49 on the Billboard Top Heatseekers chart.
Axioma Ethica Odini is the eleventh studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on September 27, 2010, via Indie Recordings in Europe and on September 28, 2010, via Nuclear Blast in North America. The cover artwork was created by Norwegian painter Truls Espedal who has created all of the band's artwork since 2001's Monumension. The album received very positive reviews from music critics, and sold around 1,400 copies in the United States its first week of release, landing at position no. 16 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart.
RIITIIR, occasionally typeset as "RIITIIЯ," is the twelfth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on September 28, 2012 in Europe and on October 9, 2012 in North America. The name RIITIIR is Ivar Bjørnson's "Norse-ified" take on the words "Rites/Rituals", or "The Rites of Man", and rituals form the central concept of the album. The album received positive reviews from music critics, and sold around 2,300 copies in its first week of release in the United States, which made it their highest debuting album to date in terms of sales.
In Times is the thirteenth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on 6 March 2015 in Europe, 9 March 2015 in the UK and 10 March 2015 in the US by Nuclear Blast. As the title suggests, the album's central theme is that of time, considered philosophically, historically, and mythologically. The album sold about 2,950 copies in its first week of release in the United States, making In Times their highest sales debut to date. The album charted in some territories in its first week of release, including Norway and Finland. It is also the band's last album with keyboardist/vocalist Herbrand Larsen, who departed the following year.
E is the fourteenth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved. It was released on October 13, 2017 by Nuclear Blast.
Heimdal is the sixteenth studio album by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved, released 3 March 2023 by Nuclear Blast.
Caravans to the Outer Worlds is the fourth EP by Norwegian extreme metal band Enslaved, released 1 October 2021 by Nuclear Blast.
