Iconic Norwegian black metal outfit Trelldom, founded by legendary vocalist Gaahl, has unveiled the visualizer for the single “Folding the Mind,” the latest advance track from their forthcoming album …by the word…, out May 29 via Prophecy Productions. Watch it now.
Iconic Norwegian black metal outfit Trelldom, founded by legendary vocalist Gaahl, has unveiled the visualizer for the single “Folding the Mind,” the latest advance track from their forthcoming album …by the word…, out May 29 via Prophecy Productions. Watch it now.
Pre-orders available here.
…by the word… is the follow-up to …by the shadows… (2024), the album that ended Trelldom’s seventeen-year hiatus and ushered in a bold new era for the band. With the new record, mastermind Kristian Eivind Espedal, known as Gaahl, and his carefully selected collaborators push even further beyond the complex yet sinister sound they established on that return, concluding their escape from the narrowest definition of black metal without compromising their artistic mission. The music remains faithful to their roots while growing darker, more twisted, and more unhinged than ever.
A key development on …by the word… is Gaahl’s expansion of his already immense vocal range into unexplored territory, achieved in part by his return to the legendary Grieghallen Studios in Bergen to work again with producer Eirik “Pytten” Hundvin, who was instrumental in shaping the original Norwegian black metal sound.
The current lineup is as remarkable as the music. Guitarist Stian “Sir” Kårstad, formerly of Djerv, provides continuity as a contributor to the band’s second and third albums. Renowned percussionist Kenneth Kapstad, formerly of Motorpsycho and also active in Spidergawd, Møster!, and Thorns, brings a singular rhythmic sensibility to the record. Kapstad, in turn, brought in internationally acclaimed jazz musician and saxophonist Kjetil Møster of Møster!, Röyksopp, and The End. Bassist Eirik Øien completes the lineup.
Trelldom was founded by Gaahl in Sunnfjord, Vestland, in 1992. The early trilogy of Til evighet… (1995), Til et annet… (1999), and Til minne… (2007) is regarded as an underground milestone of black metal history. Beyond Trelldom, Espedal is one of the leading figures of the Nordic black metal scene, having joined Gorgoroth in 1998 before contributing to a wider range of projects, including Einar Selvik’s Wardruna, God Seed, and his own band, Gaahls Wyrd, launched in 2015.
…by the word… was recorded across multiple studios in Bergen and Oslo, and mixed and mastered by Jørgen Træen at Duper Luftgrotten Studio in Bergen.
TRACKLIST
When This Was Young
I Speak Forgotten Voices
This Moment the Life of a Memory
By the Word
Folding the Mind
The Word — Choose to Vanish
In There Outside With
LINE-UP
Kristian Eivind Espedal — vocals
Stian Kårstad — guitars, electronics
Kenneth Kapstad — drums
Eirik Øien — bass
Kjetil Møster — saxophones, clarinet, organ, and electronics
Guest musician:
Geir Sundstøl — bass harmonica, 6 and 12 string dobros, mandolins, shankar guitar, and optigan