Iotunn - Behind the Scenes of "Mistland"

"Mistland" is the new song from the Danish/Faroese metal band IOTUNN. The song will feature on the highly expected second IOTUNN album planned to be released in 2024. Follow Iotunn: https://www.facebook.com/iotunn https://iotunn.bandcamp.com https://www.instagram.com/iotunn Filmed in various places of Europe by Olivia and Costin Chioreanu "As long as we are here, in this dimension, as long as we are living this temporary human existence, we are ever changing, same as the whole Universe around us and inside us. Every moment of this journey brings us the opportunity to experience a new version of ourselves, no matter that we are trained by society to keep our perceptions chained to a frame from our past, which cannot define us in our present. "'Mistland' is the most complex and diverse animation project I've done to date, combining an improved level of graphic elements with fast motion filmed drawing and painting sessions, lots of technical tricks including Chroma key and so on. "Due the deadlines I had, the working process for 'Mistland' caught me in the most intense moment of my life, exactly when, together with my wife, I was about to leave my country and move to The Netherlands. Initially, it was very tough, as I was out of space, surrounded by boxes, and filled with chaos and the pressure of taking care of everything before departure. "Next steps of the working process were being completed in Netherlands, right after I set up a short term studio as we were still not yet settled. "Having all my gear reduced to minimum, reminded me somehow of the beginning of my career. I was forced to be more creative, pushed into a new dimension of visual expression, where I could mix things up and discover several technical inventions and improvements to my graphic and video style. "The story of 'Mistland' is enlarging this micro ecosystem of constant change to the scale of a culture, of a tribe. This tribe is living in a vast forest, so vast that they cannot see what is outside. There, the story of the main character is born. "We can see the moments of his life, from his childhood to his adulthood and how the rites of that culture imposed upon him a specific perception, in order to become a proper part of society. At one point, his inner voice takes a stand and our character feels an urge to find his real identity, He drops the mask assigned by the tribe and he leaves the forest in order to discover more. Beyond the limits of his culture, beyond the trees of his forest, he meets magicians and gurus of other cultures, who trick him, reprogramming his perception according to their customs and needs. As the experience goes on, our character experiences different struggles, while he tries to cut off the roots of the beliefs that were installed. There are extremely dramatic moments in his journey but he is not giving up. "Towards the end of the story, our character becomes the initial kid he was, before cultural installation. And this kid has one single idol, which is his inner voice. Mistland ends with an epic scene where all parts of our character are together. The Observer, The Soul and The Body, being all connected in the most intimate space, is a perception free from influence." - Costin Chioreanu In 2022 – while working on their second album – IOTUNN decided to finish the song “Mistland” first. They went to Fascination Street Studios in February 2023 and enlisted Jens Bogren (Amon Amarth, Paradise Lost, Kreator, Enslaved) for mixing & mastering. The artwork and video for “Mistland” was created by acclaimed artist Costin Chiorean (Ghost, Borknagar, Opeth). “The theme of the song revolves around risking relationships to break free of the old ways and embrace new ideas and "progress", for better or worse. This feeds into the general story and concept of the upcoming album, which deals with ancient peoples becoming aware of a ritual that can release them from their earthly form and allow them to seek new astral and spiritual horizons”, explains Jón Aldará IOTUNN Jón Aldará – vocals Jesper Gräs – guitars Jens Nicolai Gräs – guitars and synths Bjørn Wind Andersen – Drums and effects Eskil Rask – Bass guitar