The release of Shadows of the Sun was delayed in Europe and the United States, possibly caused by problems with the vinyl manufacturing. The album was distributed by Plastic Head, the UK's 10th largest distributor in Europe.
The entire album was leaked to the Internet on September 17, 2007.
The track listing and the album sleeve was released to the public in a press statement by Ulver's American record label The End Records, and a teaser for the song "Vigil" was released on MySpace on August 29, 2007. On August 30, Ulver announced a release party for the album to be held at the Europa Night Club in Brooklyn, NY on September 20, 2007 with Kristoffer Rygg and Tore Ylwizaker were DJing, while The Austerity Program and Lapdog of Satan were playing live.
On 13 September, Jester Records made it possible to pre-order the album, including a limited vinyl edition, with alternate front cover by David D'Andrea. The collector's deal also included a 10" red vinyl edition of A Quick Fix of Melancholy. The End Records also released a special deal consisting of the CD edition of the album, a T-shirt, and a screen print by Tomi Lahdesmaki in a limited run of 200.
On MySpace, "Vigil" was replaced by the song "Funebre," on 14 September 2007.
"Solitude" is a Black Sabbath cover; the original version appears on their 1971 album Master of Reality, while "Eos" is a revisited version of "Gravferd," from the soundtrack of the Norwegian film Uno. "What Happened?" contains approximately 1 minute and 40 seconds of silence at the end.
The front photo is taken from the 1978 October issue of Natural History Magazine.
Shadows of the Sun is the first album without an appearance from Håvard Jørgensen, a full-time member on Ulver's first four albums and a guest on their last two.
In February 2008 the album won the Oslo Awards for album of the year 2007. The album was also voted best album of 2007 at the website Sonic Frontiers.
In December 2014, Shadows of the Sun was released as a sheet music album by Raven Music Editions. All the songs, except for the Black Sabbath cover "Solitude", were included in the songbook.
Eos
Ulver Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It goes in circles
Someone dies
Someone lives
In pain
It is burning
Into the thin air
Of the nature
Of a culture
On the dark side
Under the moon
The wolves gather
The song "Eos" by Ulver is a haunting piece of music that speaks to the transience of life and the natural world. The opening lines, "The sun is far away, it goes in circles/Someone dies, someone lives, in pain," suggest the cyclical nature of existence, with death and suffering part of the natural cycle of life. The imagery of the burning sun "into the thin air" highlights the fragility of the environment, as if the natural world is a delicate ecosystem that can be easily destroyed.
The song's mood shifts as it progresses, with the chorus focusing on the "dark side" beyond the light of the sun. It's as if the wolves gathering "under the moon" are a metaphor for the hidden forces of nature that remain unseen to most people. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the song is its ambiguity; it's not entirely clear what the wolves represent or what is meant by the "dark side." The beauty of Ulver's music is that it encourages the listener to come up with their own interpretations and meanings, providing a deeply personal and meaningful experience.
Overall, "Eos" by Ulver is a haunting piece of music that speaks to the transience of life, the fragility of the environment, and the hidden forces of nature. Its haunting lyrics and mysterious symbolism make it a powerful and evocative song that will stay with the listener long after they've finished listening.
Line by Line Meaning
The sun is far away
The distance between us and the sun is vast
It goes in circles
The sun follows a predictable path in the sky
Someone dies
Death is an inevitable part of life
Someone lives
Life is both precious and fragile
In pain
Suffering and hardship are inherent aspects of existence
It is burning
The intense heat of the sun is both life-giving and destructive
Into the thin air
The sun's energy is dispersed throughout the atmosphere
Of the nature
The natural world is intimately connected to the sun's energy
Of a culture
Human culture and society are influenced by the sun's presence and absence
On the dark side
Darkness and shadows are a counterpoint to the sun's light
Under the moon
The moon is a satellite of the Earth and has a significant impact on tides and other natural phenomena
The wolves gather
Wolves are a symbol of the wild and its connection to the natural world
Contributed by Ruby L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.