1349 is not like other bands. It's not a group of friends who decided to make music together. 1349 is a band formed with a unified vision and a specific purpose: to maintain the legacy of black metal. And now, the Norwegian band have announced their new studio album 'The Wolf and The King' which will be released on October 8 via Season of Mist.
“I didn't like the direction black metal took in the mid-'90s,” recalls Ravn, vocalist and mastermind of 1349. “I started to lose everything I liked about black metal: the gloom, the brooding, the primal emotions. that captivated me and took me to that sphere. You had all these synth-based bands dressed in pirate t-shirts and looking like goths. “It ruined something that I really hold close to my heart.”
The first single, 'Shadow Point' is now available.
The album's title comes from a classic alchemical allegory: a wolf devours a king. Then the wolf is devoured by flames and a new king rises from the ashes. “The first time I heard about alchemy when I was young, it was about people turning metal into gold,” Ravn says. “Later, through various literatures and magical practices, I realized that what you are turning into gold is metaphorical. Basically it's about personal development. You want to be the best you can be and that's what we try to do too. We try to improve ourselves, kill our egos to grow as people. If you don't do that, you will die. You will not rise from the ashes.”
Recorded at Amper Tone in Oslo, Norway, and New Constellation R.M.P. in Orlando, Florida, The Wolf and the King was produced and mixed by Ravn and Jarrett Pritchard (Eulogy, Pulchra Morte), the band's sonic wizard who also worked on their two previous albums. The lyrics were written by the band's veteran songwriter, Svartalv, who has been working with 1349 for twenty years.
The Wolf and the King - Tracklist:
1. The God Devourer
2. Ash of Ages
3. Shadow Point
4. Inferior Pathways
5. Inner Portal
6. The Vessel and The Storm
7. Obscura
8. Fatalist
