Iconic Norwegian act Trelldom, founded by legendary vocalist Gaahl, reveal the bleak music video ‘By the Word‘ as the first advance single taken from their forthcoming new full-length: “…by the word…”.
It is plausible to speculate that the album title might be inspired by stanza 141 of Hávamál (“Words of the High One”), in which the Norse god Odin relates his acquisition of the runes (Rúnatal þáttr Óðinn).
“…by the word…” has been scheduled for release on May 29, 2026.
Trelldom do neither comment on their music nor explain their art.
Tracklist
1. When This Was Young
2. I Speak Forgotten Voices
3. This Moment the Life of a Memory
4. By the Word
5. Folding the Mind
6. The Word – Choose to Vanish
7. In There Outside
With “…by the word…”, Trelldom are pushing forward hard into their new musical era that was ushered in by the previous full-length “…by the shadows…” (2024), which ended a 17-year hiatus of the Norwegian band.
Mastermind Kristian Eivind Espedal aka Gaahl and his diligently selected collaborators have gone even beyond the complex yet sinister sound that they established with “…by the shadows…”. The exponentially grown confidence and hard-gained experience of joining together seemingly quite different musicians is reflected clearly in each track of “…by the word…”.
Trelldom have concluded the process of escaping the narrowest definition of black metal without compromising their artistic mission. Their music does not only stay loyal to the spirit of their black metal roots, but the Norwegians are making a solid point that their new sound is even more dark and fierce than ever before – just in more twisted and unhinged ways.
“…by the word…” is the result of Espedal expanding the immense range of his vocals even further into unexplored territories. And it should be noted that this was partly achieved by his return to the famous Grieghallen Studios in Bergen to work again with legendary producer Eirik Hundvin aka Pytten, who was instrumental in the creation of the ‘Norwegian black metal’ sound.
Although Espedal remains firmly at the helm of Trelldom, the current line-up plays a massive part in the fresh exploration of musical extremes. Guitarist Stian “Sir” Kårstad (formerly also in Djerv) guarantees a form of continuity as he already contributed to the second and third album of the band. Furthermore, the new constellation features renowned percussionist Kenneth Kapstad, formerly of Motorpsycho and hammering the drums in Spidergawd, Møster!, and Thorns. Kapstad brought the internationally acclaimed jazz musician and saxophone player Kjetil Møster (Møster!, Röyksopp, The End) along. Bass player Eirik Øien is the latest addition to the cast of characters.
Trelldom were founded by Gaahl in Sunnfjord, Vestland in 1992. The band’s early trilogy of albums, “Til evighet…” (1995), “Til et annet…” (1999), and “Til minne…” (2007) are all regarded as underground milestones of black metal history. Espedal is widely accepted as one of the leading figures of the Nordic black metal scene. The enigmatic vocalist joined the notorious Bergen outfit Gorgoroth in 1998 but soon contributed to a wider range of projects that include Einar Selvik’s Wardruna, God Seed, and in 2015 he also launched his new band Gaahls Wyrd.
Trelldom continue in the tradition of all of Espedal’s art, which asks to always expect the unexpected. With “…by the word…” the exploration of avant-garde dissonance, wicked rhythm patterns, and wild ideas again destroys preconceptions and demands intense listening. Better prepare to be challenged by every note!
Line-up
Kristian Eivind Espedal – vocals
Stian Kårstad – guitars, electronics
Kenneth Kapstad – drums
Eirik Øien – bass
Kjetil Møster – saxophones, clarinet, organ & electronics
Guest musician Geir Sundstøl – bass harmonica, 6 & 12 strings dobros on ‘When This Was Young’
Geir Sundstøl – bass harmonica, mandolins, shankar guitar & optigan on ‘The Word – Choose to Vanish‘
Vocals recorded by by Eirik Pytten Hundvin at Grieghallen Studio, Bergen (NO)
‘I speak Forgotten Voices’ recorded by Iver Sandøy, Solslottet Studio, Bergen (NO)
‘The Word – Choose to Vanish‘ recorded by Eirik Marinius Sandvik at Marinius Studio, Bergen (NO)
Guitars, acoustic instruments & electronics recorded by Geir Sundstøl at Intim Studio, Oslo (NO)
Drums recorded by Iver Sandøy and Kjetil Møster at Duper Studio, Bergen (NO)
Bass recorded by Eirik Øien at Fjøset Lydstudio, Fosslandsosen (NO)
Electronics recorded by Stian Kårstad at Denefin Studio, Oslo (NO)
Saxophone,clarinet, organ & electronics recorded by Kjetil Møster at Tight Funk Studio, Bergen (NO)
Mix & master by Jørgen Træen at Duper Luftgrotten Studio, Bergen (NO)
Artwork by Alex Rose Art & curated by Kristian Espedal
Layout by Øivind Myksvoll
Available formats
“…by the word…” is available as a 36-page hardcover CD artbook, Gatefold black vinyl LP with 12-page booklet, and Gatefold smokey marbled vinyl LP with 12-page booklet, and Digipak CD.
Shop
https://spkr.store/collections/trelldom
Links
www.trelldom.no
www.facebook.com/Trelldom1992
www.instagram.com/trelldom_92
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source chaoszine.net ’
