German neo-medieval-meets-metal ensemble Corvus Corax Era Metallum has revealed the second single and video “Yggdrasill”, from their upcoming self-titled album, due out September 4th. The single will be available tomorrow, Friday, April 24, but the official video can be seen now. 

"Yggdrasill" is the lyrical depiction of the self-sacrifice on the world ash tree in honor of Odin. Embedded with sawing guitar riffs and hypnotic flute and bagpipe sounds, vocalist Castus Karsten Liehm’s sonorous singing conveys victim’s experience - being intoxicated by toadstools and henbane, hanging on the tree, bleeding and in trance, announcing the wisdom of the all-father Odin.

"Yggdrasill, the tree of life, connects the entire world," explains drummer Norbert "Norri" Drescher. “It is where Odin was sacrificing himself by drinking his own blood mixed with honey wine, hanging in that tree for nine nights. It is where Odin died and resurrected to get the eternal wisdom of Yggdrasill."

Pre-order/pre-save "Yggdrasill" at this location.

Two days prior to the impending German shutdown due to COVID-19, Corvus Corax Era Metallum performed their first-ever streaming concert at a medieval countryside house. The band is currently re-streaming the concert via the YouTube clip below; note that the show does not begin until the 3:40 mark.

"This is the last concert by Corvus Corax recorded before in quarantine," says vocalist Castus Karsten Liehm.

Already known for mighty drums, impressive stage shows and an imposing bagpipe wall, Corvus Corax is going one step further with Corvus Corax Era Metallum. Blending the epic sound that Corvus Corax has come to be known for with the force of metal, Corvus Corax Era Metallum is a unique experience. With passionate metal guitars (courtesy of Kreator guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö) and skillful, progressive drums, Corvus Corax Era Metallum shapes their well-known playing styles into a successful symbiosis of traditional instruments and heavy metal. If the Vikings had had electric guitars, this is the form of metal would probably have been produced.

The first single from the upcoming album debuted in February. Watch the video for "Ragnarök".

Since 1989, Corvus Corax has contributed significantly to the development of medieval music. With mystical and myth-enshrouded albums like Mille Anni Passi Sunt, Corvus Corax awakened old gods and legends, while records like Sverker and Gimlie invoke Celtic and Nordic traditions and present the Viking culture in modern times.

The creative heritage conservation of Corvus Corax even caught the attention of Hollywood composer Hans Zimmer (Gladiator, Pirates Of The Caribbean), who approached the group to write music for the film Ironclad. The band’s bagpipes and drums can be heard in the BBC documentary The Crusades, presented by Monty Python-legend Terry Jones, as well as in the computer game Dragon Age. Producers of HBO’s mega hit series Game Of Thrones were also so impressed by Corvus Corax that they invited them to play live on set for a scene in the pilot episode, which sadly did not make it into the final cut.