Nytt Land flirt with the old West on new single Dark Country. Ritual – stream it here!

By ( Prog ) published

Dark folk project Nytt Land rework album Ritual on upcoming EP Ritual: Blood Of The West – out in November

Black and white image of Nytt Land in Western makeup and clothing
(Image credit: Anatoly Pakhalenko, Natalia Pakhalenko / Kalachinsk, “Kolhoz record”)

Nytt Land have dug out their cowboy hats on new single, Dark Country. Ritual – watch the video below! The track is taken from their upcoming digital EP, Ritual: Blood Of The West, which is out on November 18 via Napalm.

The EP finds the Siberian dark folk duo reimagining songs from their 2021 album, Ritual with elements of the old West, blues and ambient replacing their more traditional Nordic influences. The lead single strips back the original album's layered title track with acoustic guitars and clean singing, as well as their trademark otherworldly chants.

"Old Ritual went through its rebirth in a new sound, new form and comprehension. And it was in the gothic atmosphere of the old West that he was born again," say Nytt Land of the reworked song. "Ritual continues, prepare for the Ritual!"

The duo – vocalist Natasha 'Baba Yaga' Pakhalenko and vocalist/musician Anatoly 'Shaman' Pakhalenko – formed in 2013 and sing mostly in old Norse language using Norse mythology as lyrical inspiration. 

Of their decision to change things up on their latest EP, they explain, "We've said many times that country and blues music are some of our favourite music genres. This EP is our tribute and memory to those great musicians who stood at the very origins of American country and blues music, those whose music inspires us daily. 

"For us, working on this album has become the most unusual, but at the same time extremely interesting experience. And we really love that we did it!"

Watch the video for Dark Country. Ritual below:

Ritual: Blood Of The West tracklist:

1 Dark Country. Ritual
2 The Blues of Ragnarok
3 Dead Man’s Ballad
4 Song of U-Gra
5 Blood of the West

Natasha Scharf
Natasha Scharf
Deputy Editor, Prog

Contributing to Prog since the very first issue, writer and broadcaster Natasha Scharf was the magazine’s News Editor before she took up her current role of Deputy Editor, and has interviewed some of the best-known acts in the progressive music world from ELP, Yes and Marillion to Nightwish, Dream Theater and TesseracT. Starting young, she set up her first music fanzine in the late 80s and became a regular contributor to local newspapers and magazines over the next decade. The 00s would see her running the dark music magazine, Meltdown, as well as contributing to Metal Hammer, Classic Rock, Terrorizer and Artrocker. Author of music subculture books The Art Of Gothic and Worldwide Gothic, she’s since written album sleeve notes for Cherry Red, and also co-wrote Tarja Turunen’s memoirs, Singing In My Blood. Beyond the written word, Natasha has spent several decades as a club DJ, spinning tunes at aftershow parties for Metallica, Motörhead and Nine Inch Nails. She’s currently the only member of the Prog team to have appeared on the magazine’s cover.