Norway's avantgarde metal heroes ENSLAVED are being honored with an elaborate 12-part television documentary named "Heimvegen" ("The Way Home"), which is broadcast every Saturday on Norwegian TV (TV Haugaland) and on YouTube. All episodes are subtitled into English. The documentary offers a detailed insight into the history of the band, following Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson as they guide us through the journey of ENSLAVED's formative years. Five episodes are available to watch online now, with more to follow every Saturday. Kjellson commented, "Doing the documentary for TV Haugaland has turned out to be one of the biggest, positive surprises in our career. It pretty much came out of the blue as well; we were asked early in the summer of 2020, and we were, like, 'Oh okay, a local tv network wants to have a little chat. Why not?' That it has ended up as a 12-part documentary was far beyond all of us involved could imagine, and such a great surprise. Director Dag Olav Husås has really outdone a hell of lot of productions made by a lot bigger networks around the globe, in my opinion. He has somehow made us re-discover ourselves, our roots, and going down this memory lane had been an utter pleasure. I hope not just our fans, but also new acquaintances will appreciate watching this as much as we did making it." ENSLAVED's latest album, "Utgard", was released in October via Nuclear Blast. Regarding the "Utgard" album title, the band commented: "'Utgard' bears countless meanings to us; an image, metaphor, an esoteric 'location', a word on its own, etc. — on different levels and layers. From Norse mythology we know it as a landscape were the giants roam; where the gods of Asgard have no control; dangerous, chaotic, uncontrollable and where madness, creativeness, humor and chaos dwells. "The album is a journey into and through 'Utgard'. It is a place of unification of that which is above and that which lies below. It is not about avoiding fear of the pitch-black darkness (it will keep on growing until the next confrontation), but to go into the darkness itself. This is the rebirth of the individual. In a world that has become so obsessed with the false lights of greed, jealousy and egotism this is a necessary journey. "'Utgard' is not a fairytale, it is a vital part of both your mind and your surroundings, and it has been since the dawn of mankind. Acknowledging that this realm exists and is a vital part of the self, has inspired us deeply since the early days of our lives. Enjoy our journey to the outer limits."
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