Enlightenment by Strandhem

Beat the summer heat with Strandhem's Nordic antifascist blackgaze, as we’re thrilled to be offering a cassette version of Enlightenment this Friday!

“Almost seven years in the making, Enlightenment is at its very simplest an ode to learning and nature, and at its more complex a genuine critique of our very concept of ‘civilization’ and the limitations of the still widely embraced values of the Enlightenment era. Every song is based on the work of writers, thinkers, or theorists whose ideas in many ways point to the shortcomings of our self-proclaimed unshakable Enlightenment ideals. It is an attempt to recuperate the very notion of ‘Enlightenment’, and bring forward elements that a true 21st-century Enlightenment should rely on to challenge the pre-conceived notions underpinning our modern understanding of civilization, progress, and humanism.”

Please support the artist directly for all digital-only purchases: strandhemmusic.bandcamp.com/album/enlightenment

Tracklist

1.	Enlightenment	1:03

2.	Inhumanism	6:31

3.	Død Mand Er God Gødning	6:47

4.	The Commonplace	6:37

5.	Life With Cold Death	8:28

6.	The Myth of Normal	3:58

7.	Broken Continuum	7:38

8.	Uncivilization	12:00

Credits

released August 16, 2024

A longer write-up on the philosophy behind the album can be found on Strandhem's Substack profile: strandhem.substack.com/p/the-case-for-a-new-enlightenment

Track-by-track album walkthrough can be read here: strandhem.substack.com/p/enlightenment-album-walkthrough

The album cover art is an alteration/reworking of the piece "The Evening Lamp" drawn by Julian Alden Weir ca. 1890 (found in the public domain).

Guitar solos on the tracks "Død Mand er God Gødning" and "Life with Cold Death" played by Mads Nikolai 'Arpeggio' Sørensen (Exelerate / Ethereal Kingdoms).

Some instrument parts recorded by Toke Fønskov Gerdts (Gladenfold)

Bandcamp: strandhemmusic.bandcamp.com
Instagram: instagram.com/strandhemmusic

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