Norwegian Grammy winners Gaahls WYRD are returning with their long-awaited second album. Braiding the Stories journeys inward, between the riverbeds of consciousness and dreams. With each cosmic chord, each cold and haunting beat, Kristian "Gaahl" Espedal and his mystical band untell the stories, and in the process, braid the roots that cradle the unseen.
Braiding the Stories comes out tomorrow, Friday, June 6, but you can hear all nine haunting songs today by listening to the full album stream below.
Pre-order
https://orcd.co/gaahlswyrdbraidinggthestories
Pre-save the album on Spotify
If their 2019 debut GastiR – Ghosts Invited conjured ghosts and 2021's The Humming Mountain lingered in twilight realms, Braiding the Stories rises from beyond what Gaahl himself describes as “The White Lodge”. Drawing from the subconscious, the band’s new album threads together dream fragments and inner voices with unheard reverberations.
Guitarist Lust Kilman’s solos—melodic fragments carved like totems into each composition—carry much of the emotional weight, supported by Nekroman’s immersive bass and Spektre’s meticulous drumming. From the vulnerable grandeur of the title track to the ritualistic drive of “Time and Timeless Timeline” and the cinematic dissonance of “And the Now” the album is unbound by genre yet anchored by purpose.
“I always work with the subconscious,” Gaahl says. “This time, I wanted the listener to fall into the album.”
The striking cover art by visual artist Øivind Myksvoll (Wardruna, Trelldom) is just as mysterious and arresting as his work for The Humming Mountain. Look closely and you’ll find what appears to be hair (aka the veil) and the cosmos (crystallized wine from Gaahl’s collection). Indeed, the group’s signature horned figure lurks between the layers. For Gaahls WYRD, music, lyrics, concept, and art are synonymous. They’re designed to be experienced in their entirety and in unison. Braiding the Stories isn’t an obvious listen, but it gently (and sometimes maniacally) pulls at the listener. The sensation of the journey from opener “The Dream” to closing epic “Flowing Starlight” is quite unlike anything before. All hail Braiding the Stories!
Lineup:
Kristian Espedal «Gaahl» - All Voices
Ole Walaunet «Lust Kilman» - All Guitars
Andreas Salbu «Nekroman» - Bass
Kevin Kvåle «Spektre» - Drums
Production Credits:
Recorded at Solslottet Studio, Bergen, Norway.
Produced by Iver Sandøy & Gaahls WYRD.
Mixed & mastered by Iver Sandøy at Solslottet Studio, Bergen, Norway.
Cover Art:
Øivind Myksvoll
Biography:
Chris Dick
Pre-order & Pre-save: https://orcd.co/gaahlswyrdbraidinggthestories
Follow Gaahl's Wyrd:
Bandcamp: https://gaahlswyrd.bandcamp.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gaahlswyrd/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gaahlswyrd
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7h8V7XHdJ3akShW3uFaZyn
Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/artist/gaahls-wyrd/1451373309
TIDAL: https://tidal.com/browse/artist/10911081
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/artist/58388182