ZEAL & ARDOR isn't just a band; it's a living and breathing entity. Like any sentient being, it consumes, evolves, and transforms from one season to the next. It has only sharpened its claws, lengthened its teeth, and steeled its nerves over the years, growing more undeniable and unpredictable in the process.
The band dropped its fourth album, the self-produced GREIF, on August 23. Get it here.
Today, the band has shared the cinematic video for "Kilonova," which plays out like a short film against the backdrop of the song's tension.
Watch it below.
"A 'Kilonova' is when two supernovas collide," band leader Manguel Gagneuxstates. "It's the type of grandeur I'm after."
Now that you've had a moment to ponder and chew on that sentiment...
The band will return to North American soil with a headline tour that kicks off November 23 in Philadelphia and runs through December 18 in Dallas. Gaerea and Zetra will support. Get tickets here. All dates are posted below.
Rather than stagnating, basking in global acclaim garnered from three previous albums — Devil Is Fine [2017], Stranger Fruit [2018] and Zeal & Ardor [2022] — Manuel opted to shake things up for GREIF.
Instead of creatively flying solo again, this time he welcomed his bandmates into the studio, featuring three voices for the first time and emboldening the sound from every angle. As such, the musicians — Tiziano Volante [guitar], Marc Obrist [vocals], Denis Wagner [vocals], Lukas Kurmann [bass], and Marco Von Allmen [drums] — spread their wings alongside him. Decamping to Obrist's studio Hutch Sounds in Switzerland, the record came to life in just five months.
"We've really evolved into a tight-knit unit," explains Obrist. "Before Zeal & Ardor, we were basically strangers, but we're like a little family now. Each member brings his own unique flavor to the mix, and we all try to make Manuel's songs better in our own way. The most interesting part for me was the new approach of how we work together in the studio."
"I wanted to expand upon what we had and introduce new colors," Manuel continues. "There are angry and accusatory moments, but there’s also some solace and happiness. I’m widening the palette of colors we have to paint with. These are avenues we haven’t tried."
ZEAL & ARDOR ON TOUR:
WITH GAEREA + ZETRA:
11/23 — Philadelphia, PA — Union Transfer
11/24 — New York, NY — Le Poisson Rouge
11/25 — Allston, MA — Brighton Music Hall
11/27 — Montreal, QC — Le Studio TD
11/28 — Toronto, ON — Opera House
11/29 — Detroit, MI — The Majestic
11/30 — Millvale, PA — Mr. Smalls Theatre
12/2nd — Indianapolis, IN — The Vogue
12/3 — Chicago, IL — Thalia Hall
12/4 — Minneapolis, MN — Varsity Theater
12/6 — Englewood, CO — Gothic Theatre
12/7 — Salt Lake City, UT — Urban Lounge
12/9 — Seattle, WA — The Showbox
12/10 — Vancouver, BC — Rickshaw Theatre
12/11 — Portland, OR — Wonder Ballroom
12/13 — Berkeley, CA — UC Theatre
12/14 — Santa Ana, CA — The Observatory
12/15 — Phoeniz, AZ — Crescent Ballroom
12/17 — Austin, TX — Mohawk
12/18 — Dallas, TX — Studio at The Factory
"We invite listeners to hear the full spectrum of the different sides and sounds that make Zeal & Ardor," Tiziano leaves off. "There are some gorgeous moments, but it packs in a lot of intensity and charm. In Manuel's songwriting and the process with every member, there's a certain intentionality as well as an element of randomness and accident. I can't wait to see people’s reactions."
In January 2024, ZEAL & ARDOR released Play With The Devil, a documentary film by Olivier Joliat and Matthias Willi. The documentary intimately chronicles Manuel Gagneux's journey from the inception of ZEAL & ARDOR through initial tours and a soul-searching period of crisis. The bold mix of Black Metal with old work songs and field hollers by the enslaved — his answer to a racist provocation on the internet — is politically explosive. As a person of color in metal, Gagneux and his music have shone a light on religion, racism, segregation, and cultural appropriation. However, the sudden surge in acclaim and the weight of being hailed a visionary leader by fans threatened to overwhelm the softly-spoken, introverted artist. Play With The Devil is available now for streaming on major platforms. For more information and to watch, visit here.