MIDNATTSOL have posted an audio sample of the song 'Northern Light', taken from their new album Nordlys, at this location. A second song called 'En Natt I Nord' is available for streaming via their official MySpace page.

As previously reported, BW&BK; scribe Carl Begai recently spoke to Midnattsol guitarist Christian Hector about Nordlys. The following is an excerpt from the interview discussing the band's musical direction of the new album and the bands that influence him:

“I’m into folk metal bands like Moonsorrow and Amorphis – who are folk metal for me, anyway – and that’s where I originally wanted to go with Midnattsol," Hector reveals. "Have we done it with this new album? I don’t know, but I’m not the same person I was five years ago. I’m very happy with Nordlys and I still think it’s folk metal. There are as many folk elements on Nordlys as there are on the debut. I don’t have any problem with the first album being called gothic metal because Paradise Lost invented goth metal, and that was amazing. It's good company to be in."

Also a member of funeral doom act Ahab, Hector digs deeper into his bag of influences.

“Ahab is influenced by bands like Anathema and Shape Of Despair. If I had a death metal band I’d probably be influenced by Asphyx, Entombed and Carcass. In Midnattsol – nowadays at least – we’re influenced by so many different things. I love Devin Townsend, Opeth, Amorphis, and even though I hate Iron Maiden I love playing some of their riffs (laughs). Ahab and R:I:P (featuring bassist Birgit Öllbrunner and drummer Chris Merzinsky) are totally different from Midnattsol, and I think that’s a good thing because we bring all these different flavours to Midnattsol.”

Watch for the full story in BW&BK; #110.

Go to this location to check out BW&BK;'s listening session report for Nordlys.

As previously reported, Nordly will be released through Napalm Records as follows:

March

26 - Finland
28 - Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden
31 - rest of Europe

April

1 - Canada and USA

The tracklist: 'Open Your Eyes', 'Skogens Lengsel', 'Northern Light', 'Konkylie', 'Wintertimes', 'Race Of Time', 'New Horizon', 'River Of Virgin Soil', 'En Natt I Nord'. There will a bonus track on the limited edition, entitled 'Octobre', sung by guitarist Daniel Droste (AHAB) alone.