Enslaved unveil Tales Of Trees ahead of Mið and 2027 London date with Sólstafir
Enslaved have released Tales Of Trees, the latest single from their forthcoming studio album Mið, while confirming a co-headline UK and European tour with Sólstafir for February 2027.
The Norwegian progressive black metal outfit will bring the run to London’s Electric Ballroom on 17 February, with Norway’s Gaahls Wyrd joining the bill as support. Tickets go on sale from 9am BST on 25 September via the band’s official website.
Tales Of Trees follows previous Mið tracks Solar Will and Spirit Helper, the latter featuring Kevin Kicking Woman. The new song channels the natural world into a meditation on human frailty, pairing the band’s shifting progressive structures with a more severe black metal edge.
Vocalist and bassist Grutle Kjellson said: “Tales Of Trees is indeed tales about trees, but perhaps not first and foremost in a botanical sense. Trees can grow, shine, and flourish, but they can also wither and burn. They need to be tended to and looked after in one way or another, and thus serve as a fitting parallel to the human mind, let alone humanity as a whole.
“Trees as symbols of something more than mere botanical creatures have appeared throughout history, both in mythological tales and in folklore. So, I think this tale is a fitting accompaniment the the heavy and yet dynamic tunes of this composition.”
A song shaped by folklore and unfamiliar kinship
Guitarist Ivar Bjørnson added: “Tales Of Trees can be both a tribute to our wooden relatives on this planet – who have had rather a lot of patience with us; and a metaphor for so much more. The winding time signatures of folk music and the adventurous spirit of classic prog are natural ingredients in my songwriting, and they feel particularly at home here.
“There is something about our kinship with trees that is both deeply familiar and wonderfully strange: everyday encounters with something we barely understand. That sense of recognition and mystery is at the heart of this song, opening another path into the world of Mið.”
Mið, due on 30 October via Nuclear Blast, takes its title from the Old Norse word for “centre” or “middle”. The album will be available on CD jewel case, CD digipack with a bonus track and sticker, plus gatefold vinyl editions in black, transparent blue, arctic blue pearl and blue/white/dark green/black marble. Pre-order the album here.
The full Mið track listing
- Non-Being
- I Am Ice featuring Johan Sara Jr
- Solar Will
- Mountain
- Spirit Helper featuring Kevin Kicking Woman
- Parting
- Tales Of Trees
- I Miðju
Enslaved and Sólstafir take Mið across Europe
The co-headline itinerary begins in Berlin on 4 February and moves through Germany, Scandinavia, France, Spain, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Poland and the Czech Republic. The London show is the tour’s sole UK stop.
Enslaved said: “Europe! In February we are heading out on a co-headlining tour with our good friends in Sólstafir. There is a kinship here that goes beyond a shared enthusiasm for questionable weather: the belief that music should be allowed to find its own path, even when it refuses to explain where it is going.”
- 04/02/27 – Berlin, Festsaal, Germany
- 05/02/27 – Leipzig, Felsenkeller, Germany
- 06/02/27 – Hamburg, Fabrik, Germany
- 07/02/27 – Copenhagen, Amager Bio, Denmark
- 08/02/27 – Frankfurt, Batschkapp, Germany
- 09/02/27 – Strasbourg, La Laiterie, France
- 11/02/27 – Rennes, Antipode, France
- 12/02/27 – Clermont-Ferrand, La Cooperative de Mai, France
- 13/02/27 – Toulouse, Le Metronum, France
- 14/02/27 – Barcelona, Razzmatazz 2, Spain
- 16/02/27 – Paris, Elysee Montmartre, France
- 17/02/27 – London, Electric Ballroom, UK
- 18/02/27 – Liege, OM, Belgium
- 19/02/27 – Nijmegen, Doornroosje, Netherlands
- 20/02/27 – Utrecht, Tivoli Pandora, Netherlands
- 21/02/27 – Cologne, Live Music Hall, Germany
- 23/02/27 – Solothurn, Kofmehl, Switzerland
- 24/02/27 – Milan, Magnolia, Italy
- 25/02/27 – Vienna, SIMM City, Austria
- 26/02/27 – Warsaw, Progresja, Poland
- 27/02/27 – Brno, Fleda, Czech Republic
