Ivar Bjørnson, guitarist and composer with Norwegian black metal outfit Ensalved, has unveiled the first track from his ambient side-project BardSpec’s debut album Hydrogen, premiering above.
Set for release on 23 June via By Norse Music, Hydrogen features Today Is The Day’s Steve Austin on guitar and effects along with Bjørnson. Live performances will feature visuals orchestrated by David Hall and created by Josh Graham, who has previously worked with Soundgarden and Neurosis.
Lead track ‘Fire Tongue’ is a 10-minute odyssey, chock with cyclical, effect-laden guitars and quietly symphonic keys. Immediate comparisons to post-rock stalwarts like Russian Circles and Set Fire To The Flames seem justified as the track weaves its entrancing melodies around a slowly emerging pulse.
Citing fellow Norwegian ambient and abstract electronic artists such as Biosphere and When as influences, Bjørnson spoke of his desire to create music rooted in trance. Speaking of the feeling he got listening to Richard Burmer’s Mosaic he said: "I was just experiencing a trance so deep into the music that this deviation from the pattern and frequencies in the foregoing half hour of monotony totally shocked me. I loved it!"
Hydrogen will be premiered in full at this year’s Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Netherlands on 21 April.
