Photo credit: Caroline Teinum Gilje
Celestial doom metal quintet Leonov have released their captivating new single ‘Auld Ashok’, taken from their newly-announced forthcoming EP Shape of Ash, due 4th July via Pelagic Records.
Watch the video to ‘Auld Ashok’ here: https://youtu.be/UKwD25mwVMk
Pre-order Shape of Ash and stream the single here: https://orcd.co/leonov
The band comment on the new single: “‘This song is a pulse we’ve followed for a long time without knowing. ‘Auld Ashok’ is a stoner meditation built around a single, mantric riff – less blues, more OM. Something old, coming into focus.
“‘Auld Ashok’ is about shifting perspectives – how the character moves between seeing herself as at fault, default, or a treasure vault. It circles questions of confidence, self-worth, and what we’re capable of carrying.
“Performance artist Gunhild Kilde anchors the music video with a physical intensity that mirrors the song’s emotional weight. Shot and edited by Simen Skari, the film unfolds like a ritual.”
For 15 years, Leonov have been honing their captivating brand of celestial doom metal. Named after Aleksej Leonov, the first human to take a walk in space, the Norwegians combine the melancholic slow burn of King Woman with the ethereal heaviness of Subrosa and an incredible voice that is undeniably reminiscent of Julie Christmas.
Shape of Ash showcases the refined sound of a band whose career has been a similar slow burn as their music. A band who have managed to stay together and create music throughout all these years, despite the odds of families and the real world.
Like staring into a purgatory bonfire, listening to Shape of Ash is a powerfully entrancing experience. Dealing with themes of helplessness, uncertainty, conflict and resolution, these four songs touch upon the many adversities of life.
“We envisioned the image of a holy woman in flames, peacefully smiling”, vocalist Tåran comments on the theme of the album. “It represents fire as a means of purification. We become better versions of ourselves through burning off our ego and through enduring the suffering of the human condition. To become truly human is partaking in a process of evolving, striving, being changed through love and adversity.”
From the swaying rhythm that introduces album opener ‘Samaritan’ to the heavenly ascension of the title track’s finale, Shape of Ash is an EP with many surprising facets and nuances. It is the first time the band recorded their instruments separately, as opposed to playing live as a band in the studio. “This really made a difference in the amount of time we were able to give each voice”, says Tåran about the recording process. Calling each instrument a voice is an unusual yet fitting way of describing the interplay of instruments on Shape of Ash.
These four songs come together to portray a strikingly human conversation that is both fiery and embracing. There is always an ebb and flow of intensity which leaves us to discover a mysterious tenderness, which finds its pinnacle in the duet between Tåran and Norwegian folk singer Syvert Feed (Jake Ziah). Structured as an argument between a couple, ‘Bygg en Menneskekropp’ features an incredible vocal performance filled with so much injustice and pain it will leave you longing for a resolution, which is provided gratuitously by the epic bridge. Channelling prime Led Zeppelin in a grand melodic theme (think ‘Kashmir’ or ‘No Quarter’) the song ends with a wonderful unison from both vocalists leading the way to the EP’s monumental finale. The ultimate title track functions as the final cleansing, the one end to all suffering and at the same time an experience of rapt ecstasy.
On Shape of Ash, Leonov create moments of primordial heaviness on which Tåran‘s unique voice floats atop, blends in effortlessly in some moments and takes reserved distance in others. With the four songs that make up this stunning EP, the band set the bar incredibly high for their upcoming full length album.
Leonov are:
Rune Gilje – guitars
Jon-Vetle Lunden – drums
Ole Jørgen Reindal – guitars
Morten Kjelling – bass
Tåran Reindal – vocals & organ
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