Danish/Faroese Progressive Metal outfit Iotunn will be releasing their second full-length album, Kinship, on October 25th, 2024 through Metal Blade Records. The album is “a mythological journey” that explores “the deep roots of human nature, its connection and disconnection with everything and everyone, and how our choices have always defined ourselves and the lives lived.”
Notes guitarist Jesper Gräs:
The creation of ‘Kinship’ has been the most extensive and wild journey we’ve ever been part of. Like trekking up the Galdhøpiggen mountain in Norway, we have crossed peak after peak and seen things continuously brighter and wider until we reached the top, the end. Never have we been prouder and more pleased, and we hope our fans – old and new – will take this album into their hearts and let it unfold from there.
Set in primeval time, Kinship tells the story of “a tribesman who is part of a prehistoric tribe.” Additionally, “It tells the story of life’s many conditions as themes of unity/disunity, light/dark, body/mind, nature/culture, good/evil, creation/destruction, and human/inhuman unfold throughout the album.”
vocalist Jón Aldará adds:
Everything is related, everything has an impact, and we all must find our ways to our true selves and true freedoms in our choices in this interconnectedness of everything. The album explores themes of conformity versus following your own path and the consequences your choices have for relationships. It is also a consideration of the mind-body connection; especially with regards to how you interact within yourself, how you are influenced and controlled by the arenas of life and the interaction with nature. All this influences your identity, your choices, and your individuality.
In advance of the record’s release, the band has released lead single, “I Feel The Night.”
Jesper Gräs says of the song:
‘I Feel The Night’ is the result of many years searching for a certain kind of song. Big lyrical and musical storylines of songs such as ‘Stairway To Heaven,’ ‘Child In Time,’ and ‘Fade To Black’ – to mention a few – have been at the core of inspiration for IOTUNN and we searched to make our song full of dynamics, feelings, and huge storytelling. This is ‘I Feel The Night.’ Lots of atmosphere and lots of heaviness.
The artwork and art pieces of Kinship were created by the ink and graphite illustrator and artist, Saprophial (Hammers Of Misfortune), with the design and layout created by art director Brian Ames at Metal Blade Records.
Kinship was mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios Denmark (Arch Enemy, Katatonia, The Black Dahlia Murder, Volbeat, Týr).
IOTUNN Live:
8/25/2024 Turock – Essen, DE w/ Insomnium
8/30/2024 Brynerocken – Bryne, NO
8/31/2024 John Dee – Oslo, NO w/ Insomnium
9/13/2024 Copenhagen Metal Fest – Copenhagen, DK
4/05/2025 Epic Fest – Roskilde, DK
