Sognametal veterans Vreid have released "Into The Mountains", a very special track from their upcoming full length, Wild North West. "Into The Mountains" is a homage to the Sognametal spirit and legacy. The ideas for that track were written in 2002 by Jarle ‘Hváll’ Kvåle and late Winder frontman Terje ‘Valfar’ Bakken. Inspired by these ideas, Hváll wrote the song and included the original demo keyboard tracks from 2002, which were recorded back then by Valfar. The song and its accompanying video, which is the latest chapter of the band's ambitious film project, can be found below.

Vreid songwriter and bass player Jarle Hváll Kvåle comments: "'Into The Mountains' is the essence of Sognametal, a hymn to Sogndal and a celebration of our ancestors and legacy. Late winter 2020 preparing for the new album, I went through my old recording hard discs and I found some old ideas for riffs that I had made in 2002. It was from a session between the 1184 and Likferd albums. I also found some unused keyboard parts recorded by Valfar from the same period.  I could not remember neither of these and became euphoric by rediscovering this. So, I blocked out the outside world, locked myself in the studio, and it instantly send me 20 years back in time. I felt Spellbound working on this song. For a few days it felt like me and Valfar was working together in the studio again, and what a weird and fantastic session this was. The dynamic of working together with Valfar is something that I will always miss, and these strange days was like a time travel into a lost time. The result of this session is 'Into the Mountains,' a song that feels so pure, fresh and vital for us, yet with a great homage to our olden times. Life is a strange curvy road.”

Vreid recently announced their exciting and unique partnership with the Sogndal Football Club. The club has for many years been known for developing and cultivating extraordinary talent, as the men's team currently plays in first division, the second tier of the Norwegian football league system.

Now, Sogndal Football Club is paying tribute to the band that has brought Sognametal to the whole world, by putting the logo of metal veterans and forefathers Vreid on the chest of player’s uniforms for this upcoming season.

The concept of a football club choosing to use the space to pay tribute to local heroes is very unusual, breaking typical partnership traditions, but Sogndal is no ordinary club. The collaboration oozes local patriotism as it champions two of the region’s prime exports – football and metal. In addition, head coach and former professional player Eirik Bakke (Leeds United) has himself played football with members of Vreid, bringing this collaboration full circle.

“Having our logo on the chest on Sogndal football's kit is an honor that is very rare,” Vreid bassist Jarle 'Hvall' Kvåle pridefully exclaims. “This football club has been hammered into our hearts since growing up. This is the club that was our whole childhood and youth, and it is with favorite teams as with favorite bands, it is love for life.”

“That Sogndal Football incorporates Vreid in its value in such a way shows the will, madness, fearlessness and pride that has built this club. Since the 1970s, these pioneers with enormous courage have built a national top club in this beautiful mountain village, and it is wonderful to see that the club is characterized by tenants, staff, players, partners and the public with a passion for the team and their hometown. The eternal underdog who constantly does the unnatural. We are extremely proud to be part of the journey of our childhood friend and Sogndal's legend Eirik. Stao no pao!”

Proud head coach and former Leeds United player Eirik Bakke adds: "Incredible fun that my childhood friends Jarle, Einar and Jørn together with the rest of the gang in Vreid will be presented on our uniform. What they have achieved with their band is just absolutely fantastic. I myself have been out in the big world and played football in front of tens of thousands of supporters, and that they now do the same with their music makes us Sogndøler proud. This year we will go all the way with Vreid on the team. Stao no Pao.”

Vreid recently announced a streaming event for the world premier of their Wild North West movie, on April 29 at 9 PM, CET.

Says the band: "Here its is. Finaly we can present what we been working on the last year. On 29th of April we will premiere our movie "Wild North West" on a streaming event. Below is the link to the official event. Click on the event to attend and you will find all the info on how to see it and support Vreid on April 29th. Spread the word and invite all your friends to this event. Welcome to the Wild North West!"

RSVP here.

Wild North West is a concept album that developed alongside an entire movie. Inspired by both true events and pure imagination, the listener is taken on a whirlwind of a journey, diving deep into themes of war, fear, betrayal, loss, anxiety, and madness with thought-provoking lyrics that embody human nature. It captures the Nordic heart at the core of their sound, taking cues from Norway’s rugged landscape as it ricochets between eternal darkness and the solace of bracing light.

The cover for Wild North West was created by Remi Juliebø (Deformat Design).

Tracklisting:

"Wild North West"
"Wolves At Sea"
"The Morning Red"
"Shadows Of Aurora"
"Spikes Of God"
"Dazed And Reduced"
"Into The Mountains"
"Shadowland"

"Spikes Of God" video:

"The Morning Red" video:

"Wild North West" video:

Trailer:

From its tumultuous inception, the Norwegian metal scene has always been about pioneering. While embracing the illustrious black metal history as part of their musical heritage, the many iconic bands have now evolved in various directions. Leading the black ‘n roll movement in Norway, Vreid are the perfect example of that. The band arose in 2004 from the ashes of Winder after the tragic perishing of Terje ‘Valfar’ Bakken. The Sognametal legends declared the mission of exploring new musical paths, which they have pushed to even greater heights on their new record Wild North West.

The ninth record is not just a collection of songs, but a concept album that developed alongside an entire movie. Throughout eight chapters you will be taken on a journey deep into the mountains, to a dark place where the borders between reality and fantasy fade and where death is only one step behind you: The Wild North West. Not just in sheer size of the project but also in terms of music videography, creativity, and determination, Vreid have done something truly unique and lifted their art to a new dimension.

On the concept, founder and bass player Jarle Hváll Kvåle states: "Wild North West is a concept story about life itself and its eternal shadow: death. It is built around the world of our fictional character E, but it is surely inspired by my own life, my band’s life, historical events and many tales that have inspired me over the years. Is it a true story or fictional? I would have to say both, and sometimes is hard tell the difference.”

Wild North West features the most extreme and intense work of the band to date, as well as heavy and melodic rock songs. These influences have always been a part of Vreid’s DNA, and it is this combination that makes up the spirit of Sognametal.  A remarkable homage to that same musical spirit is the song “Into the Mountains”. The ideas for that track were written in 2002 by Jarle ‘Hváll’ Kvåle and Terje ‘Valfar’ Bakken (Winder). Inspired by these ideas, Hváll wrote the song and included the original demo keyboard tracks from 2002, recorded back then by Valfar.

Vreid have always chosen a course of constant evolution that is marked by thematically denoted phases regarding their often historically inspired lyrics. This became particularly clear with albums ‘I Krig’ (2007) and ‘Milorg’ (2009), which both revolved around concepts dealing with resistance and liberation of Norway during World War II. With their following three records, the pitch black brigade returned to their Norse roots on ‘Sólverv’ which received high critical acclaim in 2015.

In 2018, the Norwegians teamed up with Season of Mist for their previous full-length ‘Lifehunger’, a record that successfully blended elements of 70’s rock, 80’s classic metal, and Norwegian black metal and which featured a remarkable guest contribution from Solstafir’s vocalist Addi Tryggvason on the track “Hello Darkness”.

Vreid have hammered out their success partly by being a heavily touring band. The four-piece performed more than 500 shows in 25 countries so far. Their everlasting march to conquer new territories has led the Norwegians to headline tours in Europe, North America, Japan, and India.

The band’s onward march did not come to a halt in 2020, a year that will go down as devastating for the international music scene. Vreid launched their own beer, which turned out to be the biggest success of the Balder Brewery as the first batches were sold out immediately. Instead of waiting to be able to tour again, the Norwegians invited the fans to their home region and hosted a massive streaming concert among the beautiful mountainous surroundings of the Sognefjord. The concert, ‘Into the Mountains of Sognametal’ took place in June 2020 was viewed by over 140.000 people from more than 40 countries.

In 2021, Vreid will once more invite the fans to their dark, cold, and wild universe but tread carefully as from these haunted mountains, no man can descend.

Welcome to the Wild North West.