Godspeed You! Black Emperor Releasing First Album in 10 Years

Enigmatic rock group Godspeed You! Black Emperor are releasing their new studio album Allelujah! Don't Bend! Ascend! on October 16 in North America through Constellation. The album, the band's first since 2002's Yanqui U.X.O., comes out a day before in other regions.

According to the Constellation records site, the record features four songs and clocks in just over 53 minutes. There are "two twenty-minute slabs of epic instrumental rock music and two six-and-a-half minute drones." The two long pieces -- known to some fans as "Albanian" and "Gamelan" have been titled "MLADIC" and "We Drift Like Worried Fire," respectively. The other two songs are "Their Helicopters' Sing" and "Strung Like Lights at Thee Printemps Erable."

The album will be released via digital download, on LP and CD. The LP will include a 12" by 48" pullout poster featuring a film stills collage captured from the band's projections during live performances. A seven-inch vinyl will also be included with the LP featuring the two shorter songs.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor are currently on a U.S. tour which hits Philadelphia this evening and runs through Oct. 15 in Buffalo. From there a European jaunt is slated along with Australian dates confirmed for next February. The group performed at the Pitchfork Music Festival in Chicago earlier this year as well as All Tomorrow's Parties in New York last March.

The band played a small church at Festival Emergent de Musique in Royun-Noranda, Quebec last month.