Zeal & Ardor isn’t just a band; it’s a living and breathing entity. Like any other sentient being, it consumes, evolves, and transforms from one season to the next. It has only sharpened its claws, lengthened its teeth, and steeled its nerves over the years, growing more undeniable and unpredictable in the process.
The band released their fourth album, the self-produced Greif, on August 23. Today, the band has dropped the cinematic video for “Kilonova”, which plays out like a short film against the backdrop of the song’s tension.
“A ‘Kilonova’ is when two supernovas collide,” band leader Manguel Gagneux states. “It’s the type of grandeur I’m after.”
After gathering tens of millions of streams and earning widespread critical acclaim, Zeal & Ardor prove as dynamic and dangerous as ever on fourth full-length, self-produced album, Greif.
Rather than stagnating, basking in global acclaim garnered from three previous albums – Devil Is Fine [2017], Stranger Fruit [2018] and Zeal & Ardor [2022] – Manuel opted to shake things up for Greif. Instead of creatively flying solo again, this time he welcomed his bandmates into the studio, featuring three voices for the first time and emboldening the sound from every angle. As such, the musicians – Tiziano Volante [guitar], Marc Obrist [vocals], Denis Wagner [vocals], Lukas Kurmann [bass], and Marco Von Allmen [drums] – spread their wings alongside him. Decamping to Marc’s studio Hutch Sounds in Switzerland, the record came to life in just five months.
“We’ve really evolved into a tight-knit unit,” explains Marc. “Before Zeal & Ardor, we were basically strangers, but we’re like a little family now. Each member brings his own unique flavor to the mix, and we all try to make Manuel’s songs better in our own way. The most interesting part for me was the new approach of how we work together in the studio.”
“I wanted to expand upon what we had and introduce new colors,” Manuel continues. “There are angry and accusatory moments, but there’s also some solace and happiness. I’m widening the palette of colors we have to paint with. These are avenues we haven’t tried.”
Tracklisting:
“the Bird, the Lion, and the Wildkin”
“Fend You Off”
“Kilonova”
“are you the only one now?”
“Go home my friend”
“Clawing Out”
“Disease”
“369”
“Thrill”
“une ville vide”
“Sugarcoat”
“Solace”
“Hide In Shade”
“to my ilk”
“Fend My Off”:
“Clawing Out”:
The band will tour Europe, supporting Heilung along with their own headline club shows, before hitting North America with a headline tour that kicks off November 23 in Philadelphia and runs through December 18 in Dallas. Gaerea and Zetra will be North American support.
Zeal & Ardor return to the UK for one headline show at London’s O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on September 22.
Dates, tickets and further tour information at zealandardor.com.