Norwegian progressive metal legends Enslaved are heading into another chapter of their extraordinary career — and judging by their new single “Solar Will”, things are about to get wonderfully weird, atmospheric and absolutely massive.
The band have unleashed “Solar Will” alongside the announcement of their forthcoming 17th studio album, Mið, due to arrive on 30 October 2026.
And if you thought Enslaved might start playing things safe after more than three decades of pushing metal into increasingly strange corners…
Absolutely not, butt. 😂🤘
This is Enslaved we’re talking about.
Expect riffs. Expect atmosphere. Expect mythology. Expect progressive detours that make you wonder whether you’ve accidentally wandered through a portal somewhere in Norway.
🌞 “Solar Will” Has Arrived
The first major taste of Mið comes in the form of “Solar Will”, a track that once again demonstrates why Enslaved remain one of the most fascinating bands operating within progressive extreme metal.
Rather than simply smashing the listener over the head with aggression, Enslaved have always been masters of building worlds.
And “Solar Will” feels like another journey.
There’s weight.
There’s atmosphere.
There’s that unmistakable sense of something ancient lurking underneath the music.
Yet Enslaved have never been interested in simply recreating their past. Their sound has evolved dramatically from the frostbitten Norwegian black metal of their earliest recordings into something incorporating progressive rock, psychedelia, folk, extreme metal and vast cinematic soundscapes.
“Solar Will” continues that adventurous spirit.
This isn’t background music.
This is the sort of track where you stick the headphones on, disappear for several minutes and return wondering why you’re suddenly considering buying a longboat.
Only metal, mun. 😂⚔️
🔥 Mið Arrives This October
Even bigger news accompanies the single.
Enslaved have officially announced their new studio album:
ENSLAVED — MIÐ
📅 Release date: 30 October 2026
💿 Studio album: Number 17
🎵 Featuring: “Solar Will”
Seventeen albums.
SEVENTEEN.
Plenty of bands struggle to survive long enough to make three records without somebody storming out of rehearsal because the bassist ate their yoghurt.
Enslaved have instead spent decades continually rebuilding and expanding their musical universe.
That longevity becomes even more impressive when you consider how dramatically their music has changed.
⚔️ From Norwegian Black Metal to Progressive Giants
Enslaved formed in Haugesund, Norway, in 1991, before relocating their musical base towards Bergen and becoming intertwined with the rapidly developing Norwegian extreme-metal movement.
But Enslaved were always slightly different.
While many bands emerging from Norway during the early 1990s concentrated heavily on Satanic imagery and raw black metal, Enslaved increasingly explored Norse mythology, Viking history, philosophy, nature and spirituality.
Their early material was savage and primitive.
Then something started happening.
The riffs became stranger.
The arrangements became bigger.
Progressive rock began creeping through the door.
Clean vocals appeared alongside harsh screams.
Keyboards and psychedelic passages became increasingly important.
Before long, Enslaved had transformed from Viking-influenced black metal warriors into one of progressive metal’s great experimental forces.
Albums including Below the Lights, Isa, Ruun, Vertebrae, RIITIIR, In Times, E and Heimdal demonstrated a band completely unwilling to stand still.
And that’s arguably Enslaved’s greatest strength.
You can recognise them immediately.
But you can rarely predict exactly what they’re going to do next.
🌊 What Does Mið Mean?
Even the title of the forthcoming album immediately invites questions.
Mið roughly relates to the idea of a middle, centre or midpoint, something Enslaved have already been exploring conceptually during their recent creative activity.
Earlier in 2026, the band ventured into unexpected waters with their exploration of traditional sea-shanty material, including “Fire Marengo” and “Anna Lovinda”.
They’ve also continued experimenting beyond the conventional boundaries of heavy metal, including their collaboration involving Blackfeet Nation Elder Kevin Kicking Woman.
It paints an intriguing picture heading towards Mið.
Enslaved appear fascinated by connections.
Between cultures.
Between history and the present.
Between nature and humanity.
Between brutality and beauty.
And perhaps most importantly, between the various musical worlds they’ve inhabited throughout their career.
If Mið represents some sort of meeting point between those ideas, we could be looking at one seriously ambitious Enslaved record.
🤘 Thirty-Five Years In — And Still Experimenting
That’s the bit we bloody love.
Enslaved could easily tour the classics forever.
They’ve got the catalogue.
They’ve got the reputation.
They’ve got decades of history behind them.
Nobody would blame them for turning up, smashing out the favourites and collecting their backstage sandwiches.
Instead, they’re still experimenting.
Still searching.
Still taking risks.
Still making music that sounds like five Norwegian blokes discovered an ancient rune stone and decided the only sensible response was writing a 12-minute progressive metal song about it.
Proper job. 🤘
Few bands from the early Norwegian black-metal movement have evolved quite as dramatically while maintaining such a recognisable identity.
The brutality never completely disappeared.
Neither did the mythology.
But around those foundations Enslaved built something enormous.
Progressive rock.
Psychedelia.
Folk.
Ambient passages.
Melodic vocals.
Extreme metal.
Ancient storytelling.
All smashed together into something unmistakably Enslaved.
🌞 “Solar Will” Opens the Door
That’s what makes “Solar Will” such an exciting introduction to this next chapter.
It doesn’t feel like a band attempting to recreate 1994.
It doesn’t feel like musicians chasing whatever happens to be popular in metal right now either.
It sounds like Enslaved continuing down their own peculiar road.
And after 17 studio albums, that’s pretty remarkable.
There are very few bands where the announcement of another record genuinely leaves you wondering:
“What the hell are they going to do this time?”
Enslaved remain one of them.
🔥 THE RIFF REPORT VERDICT
Enslaved are back.
New music.
New album.
Another enormous philosophical rabbit hole for metalheads to disappear down.
“Solar Will” offers our first proper glimpse into Mið, and once again the Norwegian veterans appear determined to push themselves rather than simply revisit former glories.
With Mið arriving on 30 October 2026, autumn just gained another seriously heavy soundtrack.
Thirty-five years into their existence and seventeen albums deep, Enslaved are still evolving.
Still experimenting.
Still challenging themselves.
And still capable of making progressive metal feel genuinely adventurous.
Stick “Solar Will” on.
Turn it up.
Close your eyes.
And prepare to spiritually disappear into a Norwegian fjord for a bit.
We’ll see you at the centre. ⚔️🌞🤘
🎸 THE RIFF REPORT
Proudly Welsh. Proudly Loud. Zero Apologies. 🐉🤘
What do you reckon, riffers? Are you digging “Solar Will”, and are you ready for Mið when it lands on 30 October?
Crank it loud and let us know. 🔥
