Masterful Norwegian storytellers Wardruna - last seen in the US in 2018 with a sold-out headlining show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado - will release their new album, Kvitravn (which translates to 'White Raven') on June 5 via By Norse Music in the U. and Sony Music/Columbia Records (worldwide excl. US). The first new music from the album will be revealed on February 21. In the meantime, pre-order bundles are now available in the US here, and across all digital platforms here.

Wardruna have also announced plans for a solo North American tour launching this fall in Charlotte, NC on September 24 and concluding in Dallas, TX on October 20. Tickets for these shows (listed below) will go on-sale at 10:00 AM, local time on Friday, February 14.

Wardruna have carved a rich, polyphonic and dramatic musical landscape that honors the ancient past without gimmick, while simultaneously illuminating meaningful expressions of Norse tradition through intrinsically detailed contemporary composition. Beyond genre, theirs is a sound that must be truly experienced. Their first-ever concert was held in front of the 1,500-year-old Gokstad Viking ship in Oslo, NO and they're the only band to have ever been allowed to hold an amplified concert at the Viking ship museum. Since then they've performed sold-out shows worldwide, including major festival headlining appearances (Hellfest, Roadburn, Summer Breez, Castle Fest, Echoes & Merveilles, Rock oz Arenes, Rock The Coast, etc.). In 2018, they toured the US with a West Coast run which expanded their audience.

Kvitravn follows an intensive period in the studio and musically continues where their Runaljod trilogy left off in 2016 with Runaljod - Ragnarok - which charted at #1 Billboard's World Music charts in the US and Canada. Yet Kvitravn marks a distinct evolution in Wardruna's unique sound. In a rich musical tapestry, Wardruna use a broad selection of both traditional and historical instruments such as Kravik-lyre, Trossingen-lyre, Taglharpa, Sootharp, Langeleik, Crwth, Goat- horn, Lur, Bronze-lur, flute, Moraharpa, and the record also features guest appearances by a small group of prominent traditional singers, spearheaded by Kirsten Bråten Berg, one of the most important custodians of Norwegian traditional song. Throughout these 11 songs, Kvitravndiscusses Northern sorcery, spirit-animals, shadows, nature and animism, the wisdom and meanings of certain myths, various Norse spiritual concepts, and the relation between sage and songs.

"To recite and copy the past is not very difficult, but to understand and integrate ancient thoughts, tools and methods with real purpose into a creation that is relevant to the modern era is truly challenging and remains our prime goal in our work," Wardruna founder Einar Selvik reveals.

"Although the album carries a variant of my own totemic artist name, it has, in this context, little to do with me but rather refers to the symbolism and legends of sacred white animals found in Nordic and other cultures all over the world. These highly regarded ghostly creatures, whether a raven, snake, bear, moose, reindeer, elephant or lion, - are in animist traditions seen as prophetic, divine messengers, and guardians representing renewal, purity and a bridge between worlds."

Since their formation in the early 2000's initiated by composer Einar Selvik, Wardruna have had vast worldwide success, transcending music genres, cultures and languages while being renowned for their innovative and genre-creating renditions of ancient Nordic traditions.

The group's massive musical contributions to History Channel's TV series Vikings - which consists of over 60 placements and substantial work on the show's musical score in addition to appearances by Einar, who starred and performed on two occasions in Season 3 and 4 - has exposed their music to a broad audience worldwide.

Wardruna merge academics with pop culture, and their thorough and serious approach has made them one of today's foremost communicators of Norse culture. Today's top international scholars on Old Norse studies use Einar's work to exemplify how music might have been executed in earlier times in Scandinavia and he has lectured about his work with historical music in prestigious universities such as Oxford, University of Denver, Reykjavik University and University of Bergen. Alongside fellow Norwegian metal band Enslaved, Wardruna was commissioned by the Norwegian government to write and perform a music-piece for the 200-year anniversary of the Norwegian constitution in 2014.

Experience Wardruna live at one of the below dates.

September
24 - Charlotte, NC - Ovens Auditorium
25 - Washington, DC - Warner Theatre
26 - Brooklyn, NY - Kings Theatre
28 - Boston, MA - The Orpheum Theater
29 - Montreal, QC - M Telus
30 - Toronto, ON - Meridian Hall

October
2 - Chicago, IL - Auditorium Theatre
3 - Minneapolis, MN - The State Theatre
6 - Calgary, AB - Jack Singer Concert Hall
8 - Vancouver, BC - Queen Elizabeth Theatre
9 - Seattle, WA - Moore Theatre
10 - Salem, OR - Elsinore Theatre
12 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
14 - Oakland, CA - Paramount Theatre
16 - El Cajon, CA - Magnolia
17 - Los Angeles, CA - Orpheum Theatre
18 - Mesa, AZ - Ikeda Theatre
20 - Dallas, TX - The Majestic Theatre

(Photo - Kim Öhrling)