Norwegian progressive metal pioneers ENSLAVED have released ‚Spirit Helper‘, a deeply moving cross-cultural collaboration featuring Kevin Kicking Woman, Elder of the Blackfeet Nation. The track emerges from years of relationship-building surrounding the Fire in the Mountains festival held on Blackfeet land in Montana. It stands as one of the most spiritually significant and boldly conceived works in ENSLAVED’s storied three-decade career.Norwegian progressive metal trailblazers ENSLAVED have unveiled ‚Spirit Helper‘, a unique and profoundly meaningful collaboration with Kevin Kicking Woman, an Elder of the Blackfeet Nation. The track represents the culmination of years of cultural exchange, personal relationships, and mutual trust between ENSLAVED and the Blackfeet community in Montana.
The song’s origins trace back to 2019, when ENSLAVED first connected with the Fire in the Mountains festival through shared ties with WARDRUNA, their management, and the By Norse Music platform — a label and artistic collective co-founded by members of both bands alongside manager Simon Füllemann. Those conversations deepened over subsequent years, eventually drawing ENSLAVED to the Blackfeet Nation in East Glacier, Montana.
During a gathering in New York, Kevin Kicking Woman shared a traditional morning prayer song with ENSLAVED guitarist and composer Ivar Bjørnson, entrusting it as the foundation for a new composition. Rather than simply surrounding the contribution, Bjørnson allowed the music to adapt to the pulse, rhythm, and spiritual energy already present within Kicking Woman’s song.
Kicking Woman described the track as an expression of Blackfoot ways of knowing: „Songs are the Blackfoot way of knowing. Expressing relationship and responsibility, belonging and accountability.“
The accompanying artwork was crafted by Nicholas Rink of the Blackfeet Nation, incorporating an old Norwegian map, cosmic symbolism, and a nod to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.
ENSLAVED will return to Fire in the Mountains festival in July 2026, and are also confirmed for Oslo Spektrum in October alongside DIMMU BORGIR and SATYRICON.
Photo: Chantik Photography