Norwegian metallers BORKNAGAR and IN VAIN have both had the release dates of their new albums — "Universal" and "Mantra", respectively — pushed back to 2010.

The two bands' record label, Indie Recordings, has issued the following statement regarding the delay:

"Since the start of Indie Recordings and Indie Distribution in 2005, a lot has happened. Indie Distribution has grown from being a small Norwegian underground distributor into being a significant player in the Norwegian music market . We are now handling labels such as Nuclear Blast, SPV/Steamhammer, Metal Blade, Rough Trade and tons of others, and we feel confident that Indie Distribution is the No. 1 hard rock/metal distributor in Norway today.

"Indie Recordings started off as a small side project to Indie Distribution, as we felt the urge to work closer with bands than what we could do as a distributor only. Indie Recordings has grown from releasing relatively unknown acts on a rarely basis, into releasing several albums per month with acts such as SATYRICON, ENLAVED, KEEP OF KALESSIN, AUDREY HORNE, BORKNAGAR, SHINING, GODSPEED, CARPATHIAN FOREST, etc.

"Having the opportunity to work with such fine musicians for the last years has been a great inspiration to us, and has motivated us to bring our business yet a step forward.

"So far, Indie Recordings has been distributed via a third party outside Norway, and Indie Distribution has been a business focusing only on Norway — we find that now is a good time to change this. We are launching Indie Distribution as our very own international distribution starting January 2010. Indie Distribution will naturally handle Indie Recordings, but we will also carry other respected Norwegian and foreign labels. More news on this will follow shortly.

"On the contrary of what a lot of people might think, feel and say — we are confident that the future of the music industry is bright, and we embrace this challenge with courage and great passion for our work!

"If you are a distributor that would be interested in cooperating with us — or a label looking for distribution — please get in touch with Erlend Gjerde via email; erlend@indiedist.no or phone; +47 23121780. We'll be at the Wacken festival July 30th – August 2nd and can meet face to face if you want to! Get in touch via email or cell + 47 45037053.

"Upcoming releases: Due to this change in our setup we have decided to postpone all releases previously scheduled for 2009 until 2010. This affects in particular BORKNAGAR and IN VAIN, but we are confident they will be better off benefiting from our new setup."