Swedish Heavy Metal band Narnia maybe 27 years into their career, but next year promises to be an epic one with the news that their new album, Ghost Town, will be released on 17 March 2023. Their ninth studio album looks to be another well-crafted piece of Classic and Melodic Metal.
The title track was introduced to the cheering live audience at Sweden Rock Festival 2022. With its bombastic four on the floor-pulse and sing-along chorus, it is a song wonderfully driven by the energetic performance of drummer Andreas “Habo” Johansson.
Martin Härenstam and his keyboards have been given a large but tasteful space on the record, and he delivers a range of sounds from vintage synths to the grand piano.
While neoclassical gem Rebel has a nod to the band’s earliest influences and should appeal to longtime fans, songs such as Hold On, Wake Up Call, and Alive are sure to be live hits.
Descension, on the other hand, is more progressive, but there is a constant and clear common thread throughout the entire production that ties it together brilliantly.
Co-founder, guitarist, and producer CJ Grimmark is once again the primary songwriter, joined by co-founder and lead singer Christian Liljegren and bassist Jonatan “Jono” Samuelsson.
“Different songs will appeal to different people lyrically,” Christian Liljegren says, “but we cover a variety of topics throughout the album. I’m sure people will be able to relate to them, both musically and spiritually. Some of these songs stand out a bit from our previous repertoire, but without abandoning our historical influences.”
Thief, with its dramatic arrangement and anxiety-laden, expressive imagery, and the progressive Modern Day Pharisees, a song dealing with the subject of hypocrisy, are two tracks which highlight this lyrical direction.
“This is an album with a positive message combined with bombastic music,” Liljegren says. “You can’t have one without the other when it comes to Narnia.”
Ghost Town Artwork is by Jani Stefanovic, with the layout from Jonatan Samuelsson. Produced by CJ Grimmark, mixed by the band”s sound engineer Viktor Stenquist, and mastered by Thomas Piec Johansson, Ghost Town is available to pre-order from https://orcd.co/n014.
