Official press release:
Norwegian noise-rock visionaries Årabrot return with a powerful new chapter in their sonic evolution — the deeply personal and atmospheric new album Rite of Dionysus, recorded at the band’s own church studio with legendary producer Alain Johannes. Alongside the announcement, they’ve unveiled the standout single “Pedestal”, a track that exemplifies the band’s fusion of raw energy, existential depth, and unexpected beauty.
Rite of Dionysus is more than an album — it’s a document of a singular moment in time. The band states:
“It’s a different Årabrot album. A special album captured at a special time.”
Recorded during the same sessions as their previous release Of Darkness and Light, the album was shaped by a whirlwind summer in 2022 that included Johannes and frontman Kjetil Nernes performing at the Taylor Hawkins memorial concert at Wembley. Nernes reflects:
“The week we spent among the biggest rock stars in the world created a very special atmosphere for the second half of the sessions. As if the rockstar vibes permeated into our very existence.”
But the album is far from glamorous — Rite of Dionysus explores themes of loss, transformation, and introspection.
“It deals with stuff that’s real to us. Maybe there is something real in it for you too. It’s not for everyone and it’s not gonna hit you in the head. But ever so slowly it might creep under your skin.”
The new single “Pedestal” is a perfect entry point. Originally written on a whim, it evolved into something much more layered and profound. Nernes explains:
“It could have been a big chord ballad or a sludgy Melvins-style dirge.”
But after leaving the studio to make lunch, he returned to find that Johannes and Årabrot’s other half, Karin Park, had reimagined the track into a striking arrangement that transformed its emotional core.
At the time, Nernes was deep in Nietzsche’s Thus Spoke Zarathustra, and it changed his perspective on the lyrics. What began as “a collapsing pedestal” was reborn as “a rising pedestal.” “I managed to change the narrative,” he says. “The song fell in place.”
With Rite of Dionysus, Årabrot continue to defy conventions, blending art rock, sludge, noise, and philosophy into something uniquely their own. This is music that doesn’t scream for your attention — it lingers, it haunts, and ultimately, it transforms.
Pre-order Rite of Dionysus here.
Rite of Dionysus track listing:
- “I Become Light”
- “A Different Form”
- “Rock’n’roll Star”
- “The Devil’s Hut”
- “Pedestal”
- “The Satantango”
- “Mother”
- “Death Sings His Slow Song”
- “Of Darkness and Light”
- “The Lunar Menses”
