Representing Norway in FSC July 2023, and returning to the FSC for Norway after 3 years, is the accomplished Norwegian Folk-rock band Gåte. Here is some more information about them.
Gåte (the word means ‘riddle’ in English) is a well known Norwegian Folk-rock band from near Trondheim, Norway. The band was formed in 1999/2000 by Sveinung Sundli (violin, keyboards) together with his little sister Gunnhild Sundli (vocals), Gjermund Landrø (bass), Martin Langlie (drums) and Magnus R Børmark (guitar/keyboards). They played Progressive Folk-rock with elements from metal and electronica and, above all, Norwegian Folk-music.
The band released their first EP ("Gåte") in 2000 gaining popularity. A 2nd EP, also self-titled, was released in 2002. Their first album, “Jygri”, gained a lot of media attention, particularly the wonderful distinctive voice of Gunnhild Sundli caught the interest of music journalists. The EP “Statt Opp (Maggeduliadei)” was released in 2003 and their second album, “Iselilja” in 2004.
In the following years they had active and inactive periods but after 2009 the band said they were taking a long break which lasted many years making many believe they had disbanded.
In 2016 Gåte began thinking of returning as an active band and they started writing new music. The first song was released in October 2017 as a single from a forthcoming EP “Attersyn”, the song “Stolt Solvår”. This was the Norwegian entry in FSC April 2018. A new album called “Svevn” was then released in November 2018. One of the songs on the album was the powerful Folk-rock song “Fanitullen”. This was the Norwegian entry in FSC April 2019.
They continued making music and a new single was released in October 2019, the popular Folk-rock song “Huldra”. This was the Norwegian entry in FSC July 2020. In 2021 they released an EP called “Til Nord” and later in the year an accompanying album called “Nord” with mostly new versions of some of their most famous songs. A new single called “Svik” was also released.
Two new songs were released in May 2023, a song called “Skarvane” and also the song “Svarteboka” which featured the singer Agnete Kjølsrud of the Norwegian Hard rock-band Djerv. The song was a powerful dark duet or “dance” on the theme of Darkness vs Light (personfied in the Devil and a Queen of Light) and this is the song chosen by the Norwegian jury as the Norwegian entry here in FSC July 2023.
Gåte are an important part of Norwegian Folk music tradition and are working on new music.
Djerv is a Norwegian hard rock band created in 2009. The head vocalist is Agnete Kjølsrud who used to be in a Norwegian band called Animal Alpha. Other members were Erlend Gjerde and Stian Kårstad. Their EP ”Headstone” came in 2010 and their debut-album in 2011. They took a break after 2014 but returned in 2020. Their music has had elements of rock, hard rock and black metal. In 2023 they collaborated with Gåte on the new single “Svarteboka”.
The Norwegian entry for FSC #173 July 2023, called “Svarteboka” (“The Black Book”), is a dark, intense and dramatic melodic piece of Norwegian Folk-rock by Norwegian Gåte. It all makes for powerful music accompanied by an equally powerful and dramatic artistic music video. The Norwegian jury is happy to enter Gåte again in the FSC for Norway.
Below are the lyrics in Norwegian language (Nynorsk/dialect) with a translation into English. Hope you’ll enjoy the Norwegian entry for July 2023!
Gåte ft. Djerv - Svarteboka
Queen of Light (with the Devil periodically whispering in parallel):
Eit rop i frå hel / A scream from hell
Mørket det batt / The Darkness encloaked
Forbanne di sjel / Curse your soul
Be nåde for dei som blir att / Pray for mercy for those left behind
Les ikkje i / Do not read
Fanden sitt ord / Into the words of the Devil
Da fer han fri / Then he will be let free
Du fer til trolldom si jord / And you will be trapped in spells
Med makt til å rå / With power to rule
Og skade ei verd / And harm a world
Ord som kan slå / Words that can hit you
Men ikkje før du tek i ferd / But not before you let them in
Vil du så fred / If you wish to create peace
Halde fram dyd / And remain pure
Fanden sitt kvad / The song of the Devil
Gjer deg sin skjendige fryd / Will please you against your will
Mørkt vil det bli / It will become dark
Vondemakt strir / The forces of Darkness will make war
Til du i mot berget rir / Until you ride against the mountain
Kva enn du vil / Whatever you want
Dreg du i frå / You must leave behind
Kva enn du får att / Whatever you gain
Er det mørkt omkring / There is dark around
Svart som evig natt / Black as eternal night
Devil response:
Men du dreg i frå, fordi eg har orda / But you leave because I speak
Eg kan gje deg alt du vil, når mørket blir til / I can give you everything, in Darkness
Men stemmen den brast / But the voice broke
Queen of Light:
Auge som såg / Eyes that saw
Uskuld som brann / Innocence that burned
Får ikkje gå / Cannot go on
Fredfulle livet det svann / Your peaceful life disappeared
Det vonde satt fri / The pain set free
Du har nytt kall / You have a new purpose
Født for å stri / Born to fight
Berget kan bøte ditt fall / The mountain can cushion your fall
Ein frykteleg makt / A terrible power
I sjelelaus drakt / In soulless manner
I bergveggen fast all si tid / In the mountain imprisoned for all time
Devil response:
Forbanne di sjel. Evig fortapt / Curse your soul. Forever lost
Queen of Light:
Kva enn du vil / Whatever you want
Dreg du i frå / You must leave behind
Kva enn du får att / Whatever you gain
Er det mørkt omkring / There is dark around
Svart som evig natt / Black like eternal night
Devil response:
Eg kan gje deg alt du vil / I can give you everything you want
Eg kan gje deg evig liv / I can give you eternal life
Men du dreg i frå, fordi eg har orda / But you leave because I speak
Eg kan gje deg alt du vil, når mørket blir til / I can give you everything you want, in Darkness
Men stemmen den brast. Evig fortapt / But the voice broke, forever lost
Queen of Light:
Kva enn du vil / Whatever you want
Dreg du i frå / You must leave behind
Kva enn du får att / Whatever you gain
Er det mørkt omkring / There is dark around
Svart som evig natt / Black like eternal night
Devil reponse:
Eg kan gje deg alt du vil / I can give you everything you want
Eg kan gje deg evig liv / I can give you eternal life
Men du dreg i frå, fordi eg har orda / But you leave because I speak
Eg kan gje deg alt du vil, når mørket blir til / I can give you everything you want, in Darkness
Men stemmen den brast. Evig fortapt / But the voice broke, forever lost
-M