Vikingligr Veldi

Last updated
Vikingligr Veldi
Enslaved - Vikingligr Veldi.jpg
Studio album by
Released22 February 1994
RecordedMarch–April 1993 at Grieghallen Studio
Genre
Length50:56
Label Deathlike Silence
Producer
Enslaved chronology
Hordanes Land
(1993)
Vikingligr Veldi
(1994)
Frost
(1994)

Vikingligr Veldi (Norse meaning roughly In the Veld of the Vikings or "In the Viking Veld") 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. [2]

Contents

Vikingligr Veldi is an Old Norse concept album with lyrics mainly in Icelandic, with the exception of "Heimdallr" in Old Norwegian. [3] Former Old Funeral bassist Thorlak Sigvaldason helped the band translate the Norwegian lyrics into Icelandic. [4] The album's cover features the Anglo-Saxon helmet uncovered at the Sutton Hoo site in England, widely identified with the 7th-century king Rædwald of East Anglia.

Guitarist and keyboardist Ivar Bjørnson was 15 years old when Vikingligr Veldi was recorded and had co-founded Enslaved with Grutle Kjellson when they were 13 and 17 years old respectively. [5] [6] [7]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Ivar Bjørnson

No.TitleLength
1."Lifandi lif undir hamri" ("Living Life Under the Hammer")11:31
2."Vetrarnótt" ("Winternight")10:58
3."Midgards eldar" ("Fires of Midgard")11:16
4."Heimdallr" ("Heimdall")6:15
5."Norvegr" ("Norway")10:56
Total length:50:56

Critical reception

AllMusic wrote, "Vikingligr Veldi [...] proved that [...] Enslaved were ready to carry on the torch of Norwegian black metal beyond the shocking demise of its original ringleader [ Euronymous ]", calling it "an album that stands the test of time, for the most part, and remains of crucial importance to the black metal genre." [1]

Personnel

Enslaved
Production

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Rivadavia, Eduardo. "Vikingligr Veldi - Enslaved: Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards: AllMusic". AllMusic . Retrieved 11 August 2012.
  2. "Enslaved – Vikingligr Veldi (1994, CD)".
  3. Ustunol, Serhan (2016-11-13). ""ENSLAVED" INTERVIEW". Metalheads Forever Magazine. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  4. Handelman, Ben (2016-11-03). "Rank Your Records: Enslaved's Ivar Bjørnson Rates the Metal Legends' Extensive Catalog". Vice. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  5. Handelman, Ben (2016-11-03). "Rank Your Records: Enslaved's Ivar Bjørnson Rates the Metal Legends' Extensive Catalog". Vice. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  6. Everley, Dave (2021-06-07). "Enslaved's Ivar Bjørnson: 10 albums that changed my life". louder. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
  7. Svendsen, Roy Hilmar (2016-03-12). "– Vi er stolte av alt vi har gjort". NRK (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 2023-11-03.