ENSLAVED: 'Axioma Ethica Odini' First-Week Sales Revealed

October 6, 2010

"Axioma Ethica Odini", the eleventh studio album from progressive/psychedelic Norwegian black metallers ENSLAVED, sold around 1,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 16 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"Axioma Ethica Odini" was released in Norway on September 20, in the rest of Europe on September 27 and in North America on September 28.

ENSLAVED's Ivar Bjørnson and Grutle Kjellson recently gave an in-depth explanation of the "Axioma Ethica Odini" artwork to the visitors of the web site of the German edition of Metal Hammer magazine. You can watch the clip at this location.

The CD's cover artwork was created by the Norwegian artist Truls Espedal, who has painted every ENSLAVED album cover since 2001's "Monumension".

"Axioma Ethica Odini" track listing:

01. Ethica Odini
02. Raidho
03. Waruun
04. The Beacon
05. Axioma
06. Giants
07. Singular
08. Night Sight
09. Lightening

"Axioma Ethica Odini" was made available as a special edition in gatefold seven-inch format with the entire album on CD and a seven-inch vinyl single as a bonus, as well as a regular jewel case and double vinyl. The bonus seven-inch single includes the songs "Jotunblod (Doom)" and "Migration".

ENSLAVED's eleventh studio album was recorded at three different studios in Bergen, Norway: 1) Duper; 2) Earshot (belonging to ENSLAVED members Herbrand Larsen [keyboardist/backing vocalist] and Ice Dale [lead guitarist]); and 3) Peersonal Sound (owned by rhythm guitarist/songwriter Ivar Bjørnson). It is the follow-up to 2008's "Vertebrae", which sold over 1,100 copies its first week of release in North America and debuted on the American Billboard Hard Music chart at No. 11 and on the Heatseekers chart at No. 49. In ENSLAVED's native country, "Vertebrae" entered the official chart at No. 20 and earned the band its third consecutive Spellemann award (the largest and oldest Norwegian music awards show, which is often referred to as the country's equivalent to the American Grammy Awards). "Vertebrae" also won Terrorizer magazine's coveted "Album of the Year" award for 2008.

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