We’ve seen quite a bit of Enslaved since Axioma Ethica Odini came out, as they’ve been touring in support of it with such luminaries as Cannibal Corpse, Dimmu Borgir, Triptykon and Alcest.  In fact, the Norwegian prog-black masters have been on the road so much that it’s easy to forget that two years have passed since we’ve heard new music from the band.  But as Blabbermouth reported this morning, “Thoughts Like Hammers” from their upcoming follow-up, RIITIIR, is now available for free download on NuclearBlast.de.

The song itself is a predictably great, epic slice of blackened extremity, and it has enough of a progressive side to likely satiate anyone who was surprised by Nachtmystium’s turn back to their black metal roots on Silencing Machine.  It’s well-written enough that it’s hard to believe Enslaved has been spending so much of their time on tour.  As guitarist Ivar Bjørnson said in a press release, ”Some might think that this [touring] schedule, and the fact that we celebrated our 20th anniversary last year, should result in some time off in the end. Nah. Like a space vessel that gains momentum by entering slingshot-orbits on its way through space, we seem to gain speed, direction, and strength on our journeys, through new releases and subsequent tours.”

RIITIIR comes out in North America October 9 on Nuclear Blast; until then, you can give “Thoughts Like Hammers” a spin on Nuclear Blast’s SoundCloud after the jump.  Oh yeah, and that’s a damned fine album cover if we do say so ourselves.