Norwegian black metal outfit Gaahls WYRD are streaming their latest single, “And the Now.” The track is taken from their upcoming sophomore album, Braiding the Stories, scheduled to arrive on June 6 via Season of Mist. Recorded at Solslottet Studio and co-produced by Iver Sandøy (Enslaved, Wardruna), Braiding the Stories expands on the band’s evolving experimental style, first explored on 2019’s GastiR – Ghosts Invited.
On the new album, Gaahl explains:
“I call it the White Lodge. Maybe I’ll call it the Bright Lodge. I wanted to put focus on where I think Ole is most comfortable music-wise. There’s more things he’s connected to on this album than before. So, I jumped over the more black metal tracks, as I felt they didn’t belong to this process. For example, when we sat down in the studio, we wanted a specific energy. That energy is a ‘80s and ‘90s thing. Almost gothic rock, but it’s more about the sound than the style. It’s an aesthetic for sure. If I may, everyone should pay close attention to Ole’s fantastic solos. They’re pieces of music [inside the songs].
Musically, it’s unique. It’s not necessarily connected to GastiR and The Humming Mountain. Those albums are connected to very earthly elements, the natural flow of things. This album is another dimension—behind the veil, if you will. I remember I wanted to release ‘And the Now’ as the first single, but there’s probably too much information to be the first track out. Throughout this album, I use a lot of different voices, and I’ve thought a lot about how all these different characters fit [into the music]. So, I wanted the listener to fall into the album, not be distracted, and I think I’ve accomplished that. It’s cinematic.
I always work with the subconscious. And dreams are where we are at the most aware of our subconsciousness, I think. In a way, Braiding the Stories is a continuation [of ‘The Sleep’] but told from a different perspective. So, to simplify, Braiding the Stories deals with dreams. Not specific dreams, though. The transitions of dreams, emotions flowing from one to another without pause. Everything I do tends to end up with a melancholic flow and feel without it necessarily being an idea–it just happens, really–but I avoided that this time around. It’s less physical. I referred to the White Lodge before. This time around, I feel I visited the White Lodge not the Black Lodge.
Me and Iver have been working together on several albums. He’s an important part of Gaahls WYRD. He’s used to my way of working. Sometimes, I can be quite frustrating to work with. If my mind isn’t feeding me inspiration, I won’t get anything done. In that way, I’m very comfortable working with Iver. I need to spar conceptual ideas with someone, and Iver’s very good at that. I don’t annoy the rest of the band with these things. Iver and I have a lot of discussions, and the ideas naturally grow from there. This time around, it was very easy.”
Listen to the song below and pre-order the album here:
Track List:
01) The Dream
02) Braiding the Stories
03) Voices in My Head
04) Time and Timeless Timeline
05) And the Now
06) Through the Veil
07) Visions and Time
08) Root the Will
09) Flowing Starlight
Feature Image Photo Credit: Jørn Veberg
