Norwegian prog metallers Enslaved have announced that they will release a deluxe digital edition of last year's Heimdal album. To celebrate they've also shared a video for the mesmerising Gangandi, which you can watch below.
Heimdal Deluxe Edition will be released on March 1 through Nuclear Blast Records. The album, which featured in Prog's Critics' Choice for 2023, features the studio album in full, as well as bonus track Gangandi, alternative versions of two album tracks Congelia and Forest Dweller both featuring sublime performances from cellist Jo Quail, plus the entirety of The Otherworldly Big Band Experience - Enslaved's 2022 streaming event featuring fellow psychedelic Norwegian prog band Shaman Elephant.
"Gangandi was the last song we made before the recording sessions for Heimdal took place," says singer and bassist Grutle Kjellson. "I remember Ivar driving down to my place from Bergen on a Friday night to play a demo of the new song for me, and I went like, 'Daaaaamn, this is something else!' I absolutely loved it, but at the same time, I sensed that it was a little bit to the left of the rest of the material. When I started to figure out what to sing over it, I ended up writing a poem in cross rhyme in archaic western Norwegian, which even separated the whole effort even further away from the rest of the material.
"So, ultimately, we ended up not including it on the album, other than as a bonus track on the most “exclusive” and limited vinyl versions.
"That said, that doesn’t mean that we don’t enjoy the song! Quite the contrary! We love this odd little hybrid of folk rock, early Mayhem and King Crimson! It just ended up being the weird cousin of the rest of the songs. Kind of like Enslaved itself as a matter of fact."
Enslaved will head out on tour throughout Europe and the UK in March.
Pre-save Heimdal Deluxe Edition.
