A high quality pre-production version of a new DRAGONLAND song, "The Shadow of the Mithril Mountains", has been posted on the band's MySpace page. The song is expected to appear on the Swedish metal group's forthcoming album, tentatively due in early 2010.

Commented guitarist Olof Mörck: "It has been a couple of years since the release of 'Astronomy', and we have gotten a truckload of emails from people asking about the status of the band and when our new album is coming out.

"We have been at hard work with the new material since the release of 'Astronomy', and the songs are really beginning to take shape.

"Because of our long silence, and also because there is still at least half a year to go until the release of the next album we wanted to share a song with those of you who have been patiently waiting for new material. We are also quite excited about our 'new' concept for the album — an awe-inspiring journey back to the world we created with the two first albums, a land of aeon-forgotten whispered secrets and ethereal phantasy!

"We have striven hard to keep a mature and dignified approach to the dark fantasy theme, and we are thrilled to share the first piece of this saga with you — 'The Shadow of the Mithril Mountains'!"

DRAGONLAND's fourth album, "Astronomy", was released in November 2006 via Century Media Records. The follow-up to 2004's "Starfall" was recorded at Studio Fredman (IN FLAMES, HAMMERFALL, DIMMU BORGIR) in Gothenburg with producer Fredrik Nordström. The cover artwork for the CD was created by art wizard Niklas Sundin, who had previously worked with ARCH ENEMY, IN FLAMES, and DARK TRANQUILLITY, among others.