ENSLAVED Discusses Concept of “Vertebrae”

“Vertebrae,” the new album from Norwegian masters of progressive/experimental metal ENSLAVED, sold around 1,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD debuted at no. 11 on the Billboard Hard Music chart and at no. 49 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

ENSLAVED guitarist and founding member Ivar Bjřrnson shares his thoughts on this accomplishment and the upcoming 2009 North American tour:

“We were on the first day of our European tour in Copenhagen when we got the update from the U.S. on the Vertebrae release. We've been told the first sales figures are very good!

We are very grateful for the reception Vertebrae has received in America; and now to see the first-week sales being doubled compared to those of Ruun is nothing short of amazing.

We wish to thank the fans for backing the release, the media for the in-depth reviews and features, and everybody at Nuclear Blast for getting 100% behind ENSLAVED on this release.

The new songs sound like a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, and we can't wait to take this album on the road — luckily, the wait is over! The confirmation of the North American tour dates in May 2009 is the best news we could get. The two tours over there in 2007 were fantastic; the response was overwhelming and we got to meet and know so many dedicated fans and followers of ENSLAVED all over North America. Going back now, with the massive welcome Vertebrae has received, is something we can't wait to do. Having SWALLOW THE SUN and KEEP OF KALESSIN as support is absolutely great. We can't wait!”
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“The concept [for Vertebrae] arrived when I was reading a music magazine called Songwriter,” states ENSLAVED songwriter and guitarist Ivar Bjřrnson in his interview with Decibel Magazine (Issue #49 / Nov. 2008 – available now).

“They had this column where they call up all these famous people asking, ‘What is your thought at the moment?’ People were like, ‘I’m thinking about world peace.’ Then you had Tom Waits. He said, ‘I’m thinking about a giraffe. It’s got exactly the same vertebra as the mouse, so at some point they were the same.’ That takes you out of your everyday mood for two or three seconds. The word ‘vertebrae’ stuck. Then a few weeks later I saw this piece of art: a light sculpture out of candlelight. Through the use of mirrors, they made a bone structure like a vertebrae. It was then I seriously started considering it for an album title.”

Also, look for the cover feature on ENSLAVED in the new issue of Metal Maniacs (November 2008) – also available now!