Often our expectations of metal’s various sub-genres can paint bands into neat play-list folders in our minds and deviation can sometimes cause dissonance. A band that manages to defy genres with grace is Norway’s Strange New Dawn which features members of Green Carnation and In The Woods.
Spawned by founding members of In The Woods and Green Carnation, Norweigan heavy psych doom band, Strange New Dawn have just unveiled their video for the track “Sons Of Galaxy.” It is taken from thei new album New Nights of Euphoria, out tomorrow, 24th of November, via Svart Records. Find the video and more below.
Pre-order New Nights of Euphoria here.
Stream here.
Strange New Dawn’s mission is clear: to provide listeners with an uplifting perspective on the world, coupled with a deeply euphoric journey through their musical landscape. The excitement felt by the band’s emergence is shared equally between listener and creators: “We are thrilled with the album and believe we’ve created something truly special,” says Xbotteri. “Our collaboration has been exceptional, and this journey has been a source of inspiration and fulfilment for all of us.”
The band’s inception traces back to the year 2000 when the idea took root in the mind of Xbotteri. However, it wasn’t until 2012 that this idea blossomed into reality, with Xbotteri recruiting CM Botteri on bass (both founding members of Green Carnation and In The Woods), Sven Rothe on drums, and the powerhouse vocals of Geir Solli (formerly of Green Carnation). This star chamber of talents, culminated in the creation of New Nights of Euphoria, that pushes the boundaries of heavy prog metal, creating something entirely new with fascinatingly familiar origins.
Through the twists and turns of the creative process, some original members embarked on personal journeys of their own, making room for fresh talent. An old friend, Ex-Royal, took the helm as the vocalist, and Sven’s brother, Muld, joined on keys and samples, adding a layer of depth and creativity that reinvigorated the band and helped make New Nights of Euphoria richer and more eclectic in form. The addition of Bjørn Harstad (known as lead guitarist from In The Woods and Green Carnation) as the lead guitarist in Strange New Dawn solidified the band’s foundation.
With Xbotteri as the primary songwriter, Strange New Dawn’s sound naturally carries the echoes of In The Woods, which will delight fans who have missed that definitive signature. However, New Nights of Euphoria also ventures into a diverse array of genres, with an unwavering focus on creating atmospheres that captivate the heart and soul.
The album’s recording journey, spanning just under a year, was marked by trial and error, but the end result is nothing short of mesmerizing. To craft their harmonious resonance, Strange New Dawn chose to work on drums, guitars, bass, keys, and sample at Burnhill Studios which provided the ideal setting for their deep expedition into unknown musical landscapes, while Ex-Royal and Bjørn Harstad sculpted vocal and guitar magic at Endre Kirkesola‘s Dub Studio.
Watch previous video “Journey Within” here.
More from Strange New Dawn:
Drawing inspiration from luminaries like Pink Floyd, Candlemass, Arcturus, and Thule, as well as sci-fi films, esoteric documentaries, and cosmic literature, Strange New Dawn has harnessed their collective creativity to craft a sonic odyssey that defies boundaries.
New Nights of Euphoria is a testament to the boundless creativity of Strange New Dawn, and as with their past work, it is destined to be a milestone in the world of heavy music. Look out for this Strange New Dawn rising!
Follow Strange New Dawn:
https://www.facebook.com/Strangenewdawnnorway
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From Norfolk to Norway might sound like the title of a particularly niche folk album or a random distance check on Google Maps but it actually sums up international act Nattehimmel pretty well. Formed in 2022 and featuring both Christian and Christopher Botteri of In The Woods… and Green Carnation, the rest of Nattehimmel consists of Norwegian drummer Sven Rothe (Strange New Dawn), Orcrypt guitarist David Carter and James Fogerty of Ewigkeit and Jaldaboath on vocals and keyboards, the UK contingent hailing from Norwich and Brighton respectively.
2020 has been a strange and difficult year for most people, but that hasn’t stopped the release of some truly fantastic music. As we near the close of this tumultuous and trying year, here are the 20 albums that have resonated the most with me in 2020.
It feels rather redundant to preface this year’s celebration of the music that got us through what was annus horribilis maximus unprecedentius with much of a narrative of 2020 because we were all affected. We all lived through it. Some of us in un-splendid isolation. Some of us irreversibly overhauling the way we live, work, and support our dependents. Some of us welcomed changes we had to make while mourning the root cause behind them and that each and every person on this planet we call home was affected, impacted, and touched in a negative way by the events of a global pandemic and high-profile political situations.Continue reading
When Green Carnation, the progressive Norwegian sextet that gave birth to avant-Black pioneers In The Woods, split for the second time in 2007, no-one gave it a cat in hell’s chance of reformation. Yet the green (ahem) shots of recovery spawned with 2018’s live album Last Day of Darkness (Prophecy Productions), and here we are with the band’s sixth album Leaves of Yesteryear (Season of Mist), in what is the 30th anniversary of its formation.Continue reading
Progressive stoner metal band Green Carnation will enter the studio this month to make their first new album since 2006’s The Acoustic Verses and first new music since The Quiet Offspring in 2005. The music will be released in 2020. The band will be recording what they describe as “a tribute to Green Carnation’s past, present and future”, consisting of three brand new songs, one remake of a song from their debut album and one cover song. The sessions also mark a reunion with Endre Kirkesola (Abbath, In Vain, Solefald), the producer of the band’s legendary Light of Day, Day of Darkness, in DUB Studios in Kristiansand, Norway.Continue reading
Following a few excessively raw and highly abrasive EPs, the UK’s Employed To Serve turned a few heads in 2015 with the release of their hungry—nay, starving and salivating—debut full-length Greyer Than You Remember. Now, with The Warmth Of A Dying Sun (both Holy Roar), they are poised to turn quite a few more.Continue reading
The criminally overlooked Blood Red Throne has been going for 18 years and 7 albums. Initially formed in 1998 by DØD (Satyricon) and Tchort (Satyricon, Emperor, Green Carnation) they are now releasing their 8th studio album Union of flesh and Machine on Spinefarm/Candlelight.
Blood Red Throne’s brand of Norwegian death metal has always been a particularly rewarding listen and Union of Flesh and Machine might just be their best album to date: Whilst tightly following their eponymous 2013 release they do raise the bar both in terms of song writing and crisper production. Right from the outset this beast of an album just hammers it home, within a few seconds of putting this on in my car I was struck with an over whelming urge to start a mosh pit, much to the annoyance of my insurance company.
Fast ultra-precise riffs, pummeling drums barking bellowing interspersed with shrill shrieks to create a dense brutal soundscape which means that even if they were content to just stick to the formula this would be a satisfying listen: they fortunately do so much more than deliver the basics.
Whilst there are most notably token similarities with the guttural stylings of perennial death metal benchmarks Cannibal Corpse, there are a lot more nuances to their sound and enough inventiveness within their rounded death metal sound to keep the listener interested through every single track, and there really isn’t a single weak track on this monster of an album.
Indeed unlike too many bands within the death metal sub-genre they don’t tie their flag to any one mast. This album much like The King is Blind’s Our Father earlier in the year this is a showcase of how great death metal can be when done properly. It encompasses much of the variants of the Floridian, Gothenburg and UK styles of death metal. It’s a celebration of Death Metal brutality with an inventiveness which prevents it from going stale which has been an issue in recent years with death metal.
From the Guttural growling groove of ‘Homicidal ecstasy’, through the proto Slayer feel of the title track, and most notably for me with the head scratching brilliance of the cover of Judas Priest’s ‘Leather Rebel’ sounding in equal parts Amon Amarth and Bolt Thrower this album just keeps delivering in a way which will keep the listener enthralled for many a listen.
9.0/10
RICH PRICE
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