New album by

Tour dates 2023:

07/06: Eldsberga, SE @ Gullbranna Festival
08/11: Villena, ES @ Leyendas del Rock

Featuring Rob Rock:
09/16: México City, MX @ HDX Circus Bar
09/17: Guatemala, GT @ Al Carajo
09/19: Bogotá, CO @ Ace of Spades
09/22: Belo Horizonte, BR @ Caverna Pub
09/23: São Paulo, BR @ Legends Music Bar
09/24: Rio de Janeiro, BR @ Agyto
09/26: Curitiba, BR @ Basement Cultural
09/27: Goiânia, BR @ Bolshoi Pub
09/29: Fortaleza, BR @ Hard Noise
09/30: Recife, BR @ Estelita
10/02: Santiago, CL @ Sala Metrónomo
10/03: Buenos Aires, AR @ Uniclub
10/27: Oslo, NO @ Nordic Fest

Tour dates 2024:

01/19: Silja Line, SE @ Gospelkryssning
01/20: Silja Line, FI @ Gospelkryssning
03/16: Norrköping, SE @ Bobfest
06/01: Crossrock Festival, Åmål, SE
09/27: Loud & Proud Festival, Wissen, DE
09/28: Loud & Proud Festival, Wissen, DE

Format: Album
Label: Narnia Songs
Release date: March 17, 2023

Ghost Town

Twenty-seven years into a career that continues to grow, Swedish metal band Narnia takes huge steps into an exciting chapter with the new album ’Ghost Town’. The seasoned five-some once again shows how to shape a masterpiece with this melodic metal future classic.

On the ninth studio album, ’Ghost Town’, Narnia has picked the icing on the cake from its vast catalog. You can’t simply label this album a neoclassic metal album or a power metal album, even though these elements are present. There are also parts that are progressive, modern, heavy, or just creatively different. But you can summarize by saying this is well-crafted piece of classic and melodic metal.

Co-founder, guitarist, and producer CJ Grimmark is the crucial architect of the band’s sound, and also its primary songwriter along with co-founder and lead singer Christian Liljegren and bassist Jonatan ”Jono” Samuelsson. Through well formulated lyrics and melodies created to enhance the music, the songwriting team has explored new modes of expression that are well represented in songs such as ’Thief’, with its dramatic arrangement, anxiety-laden, expressive imagery, and the progressive ’Modern Day Pharisees’, a song dealing with the subject of hypocrisy.

The title track, ’Ghost Town’, was first introduced to the cheering live-audience at Sweden Rock Festival 2022 and is now an obvious part of the set list with its bombastic four on the floor-pulse and sing along chorus. The heartbeat of Narnia, Andreas “Habo” Johansson, does a tremendous job behind the drums, and spares no energy. 

Martin Härenstam and his keyboards have been given a large but tasteful space on the record, and range in sound from vintage synths to grand piano.

The record’s neoclassical gem, ’Rebel’, with a nod to the band’s earliest influences, should appeal to longtime fans. But also, more immediate songs like the soon-to-be crowd pleasers ’Hold On’’Wake Up Call’, and ’Alive’’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.

’Out of the Silence’ picks up where 2019’s ’The War That Tore the Land’ left off as the album’s only ballad. Featured by Saviour Machine’s frontman Eric Clayton, who reads the Lord’s prayer with his deep baritone operatic voice. 

’Glory Daze’ is perhaps the album’s heaviest song, which also addresses one of today’s biggest problems: Stress and chasing the wind. Something that Liljegren himself experienced during a burnout.

– Different songs will appeal to different people lyrically, but we cover a variety of topics throughout the album, and 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. Liljegren explains and continues:

– This is an album with a positive message combined with bombastic music. You can’t have one without the other when it comes to Narnia. Liljegren concludes.

Lyrics that make you reflect combined with the broad musical breadth the band possesses, along with a solid production, is Narnia’s musical trademark which runs throughout the entire album.

If the latest studio album ’From Darkness to Light’ from 2019 marked the way, ’Ghost Town’ is a more than worthy sequel with a life of its own.

“Ghost Town” is produced by CJ Grimmark, mixed by the band”s sound engineer Viktor Stenquist, and mastered by Thomas Piec Johansson. It will be available on all digital platforms, CD, and vinyl on March 17th in collaboration with Sound Pollution Distribution.

Singles:

Track list:

01. Rebel
02. Thief
03. Hold On
04. Glory Daze
05. Descension
06. Ghost Town
07. Alive
08. Modern Day Pharisees
09. Out of the Silence
10. Wake Up Call

Credits:

Produced by CJ Grimmark

Recorded at Nordic SoundLab – Sweden,
Lighthouse Mastering – Norway, Stenquist Music Production – Sweden, Steigenberger Hotel – Germany by CJ Grimmark and Viktor Stenquist.

Mixed by Viktor Stenquist
at Stenquist Music Production

Mastered by Thomas “Plec” Johansson
at Panic Room Mastering

Cover art by Jani Stefanovic

Graphic design by Jonatan Samuelsson

Band photos by Jeffrey Heijnen

Line up

Christian Liljegren

Lead vocals, backing vocals

CJ Grimmark

Guitars, backing vocals

Jonatan "Jono" Samuelsson

Bass, backing vocals

Martin Härenstam

Keyboards

Andreas Habo Johansson

Drums, percussion

Teasers

Reel Single 1

Reel Single 2

Reel Album

Teaser Album

Teaser Single 1

Teaser Single 2

More music

Soli Deo Gloria

Compilation Album | Narnia Songs
Released Nov 5, 2021

From Darkness to Light

Studio Album | Narnia Songs
Released Aug 2, 2019

We Still Believe

– Made in Brazil

Live Album | Narnia Songs
Released Sep 1, 2018

Narnia

Studio Album | Ulterium / Massacre
Released Sep 16, 2016 / Jul 21, 2017

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