Since its inception in 2015, the enigmatic ritual collective HEILUNG has been paving melodic paths to the past with their unique and mystifying sound. Evading all conventional genre tags and the confines of any specific labels, the group aptly self-describes their sound as “amplified history,” emphasizing their ability to connect modern society with the rudiments of humanity’s beginnings through music. HEILUNG once again journeys back in time with its new chapter, ‘Drif;’ however, unlike previous offerings that centered around prehistoric northern Europe, album number three will explore other great rudimentary civilizations outside of Europe.

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Today, Zeal & Ardor are an avant-garde metal force, hugely respected for their artistic fearlessness and off-the-wall creativity in a scene so often unwilling to break its own chains.

 “It’s insane,” Manuel laughs. “I try not to think about things like opening for these huge acts and playing big festivals, I just kind of get through it. I kind of believe it was that that naiveté that brought us here, because this started as a really playful, kind of dumb, ‘let’s just try it’ thing. And I think that’s a huge part of the charm of it all. It wasn’t a planned, calculated effort. We have to just revel in the weirdness of it all.”

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ZEAL & ARDOR to release new album GREIF on August 23; Hear new single „to my ilk“

Inventive and iconoclastic, ZEAL & ARDOR isn’t just a band; it’s a living and breathing entity. Like any other sentient being, it consumes, evolves, and transforms from one season to the next. Its shape may change though its spirit remains the same. Founded and fronted by Manuel Gagneux, it has only sharpened its claws, lengthened its teeth, and steeled its nerves over the years, growing more undeniable and unpredictable in the process.

After gathering tens of millions of streams and earning widespread critical acclaim, this beast proves as dynamic and dangerous as ever on its fourth full-length, self-produced album, GREIF, set for release on August 23, 2024. 

The title, GREIF, is inspired by an annual tradition in Manuel’s hometown of Basel, Switzerland. A mythical hybrid creature parades through the streets for the children in symbolism of Basel’s working people balking at the oppressive elite on its other side. Given the animal’s amalgam of energies and physicality, the name proved apropos.

“The GREIF is a lion, a snake, and a bird,” he notes. “During the parade, he turns his backside to the aristocrats and sticks it to the man. It reflects where we are.”

At the beginning of this next chapter, the evocative group have chosen to first showcase the album’s conclusion, sharing its plaintive and poetic final track, “to my ilk.” Loose blues guitar snakes around strong claps as Manuel’s voice echoes through a choir. “It has another level of emotion, and it came out just the way I imagined,” he remarks.

Watch a visualiser for „to my ilk“ here. Listen here.