Birna cover, photo by Tuukka Koski with artwork by Øivind A. Myksvoll January 24, 2024, Bergen, Norway – Wardruna’s new album, Birna, is available today (listen here). Birna, translating to the she-bear in Old Norse, is a work of art dedicated to the warden of the forest, nature’s caretaker. The group has simultaneously released the film: “Live at the Acropolis,” which was recorded at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Acropolis, Athens. Einar Selvik comments on the release of Birna: “Today is the release of our sixth album, Birna – a sonic journey into the woodland realms of the bear and its cyclic life rhythm. It is very much a conceptual album that is perhaps best experienced when listened to from beginning to end. If you wish to dive even further into the deeper meanings of the songs but don’t understand the language, then please know that our albums always include a booklet including lyrics translated into English. Give it a listen and let us know what you think.” A six-song exploration of the bear and the cyclical process embedded both in nature and the worldview of older cultures, drives the creative process behind the album. Birna nurtures the insight that has been at the core of Selvik’s philosophy right from the start: sowing new seeds whilst strengthening old roots. Instruments and wisdom from ancient times, coupled with modern day soundscapes and recorded sounds of nature, provide a rare opportunity to tell us something valuable about ourselves. It works as a reminder that we are part of nature, not above it, and it offers a way of remembering, not for memory’s own sake, but to gain both new and forgotten insights. Birna seeks to address the here and now and the way forward. “The more I thought, read, and researched, the more I realized that this album should mainly have a contemporary focus. Unraveling the long and entangled history of the relationship between man and Bear and contemplating the present state of how we humans relate to the wild in general,” Selvik adds. Birna and “Live at the Acropolis” is available on limited-edition vinyl, CD and digitally. Wardruna tour dates: January 25 Sydney, AU Enmore Theatre January 27 Brisbane, AU Fortitude Music Hall January 30 Auckland, NZ Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre Special guest Jo Quail on March UK and IE dates March 17 Liverpool, UK Philharmonic March 18 Birmingham, UK Symphony Hall March 19 London, UK Royal Albert Hall March 21 Bristol, UK Beacon March 22 York, UK Barbican March 23 Dublin, IE Olympia Theatre March 25 Glasgow, UK SEC Armadillo April 26 Oslo, NO Operaen SOLD OUT April 27 Oslo, NO Operaen SOLD OUT April 29 Trondheim, NO Olavshallen May 2 Kristiansand, NO Kilden May 3 Stavanger, NO Konserthuset May 4 Bergen, NO Grieghallen June 7 Reykjavik, IS Harpa July 25 to 27 Red Eagle Campground (Cut Bank), MT Fire In The Mountains July 30 to August 30 Rasnov, RO Rockstadt Extreme Fest | 
