TBT DESK

Bangladeshi rock band Vikings will mark three decades of their musical journey next year with a new album and a 45-minute film, both titled “Vikings Replayed”.

Formed in 1997, the band is revisiting 11 songs from its first two albums and giving them new arrangements for the upcoming release. The album is scheduled to be released on January 1, 2027, with the film expected to follow about a week later.

The band has not yet revealed which 11 songs will feature on the album. According to vocalist and band leader Tonmoy Tansen, the decision is being kept as a surprise for listeners.

The new arrangements are intended to introduce the band’s older songs to a younger audience while also taking longtime listeners back to the period when the tracks were first released.

“We have a generation of listeners who grew up with these songs, but musical tastes and technology have changed considerably since then,” Tansen said. “We wanted to preserve the connection with our older audience while also making the songs accessible to Gen Z. The sound will be quite different, with contemporary technology playing an important part in the new arrangements.”

Vikings released their debut album, “Jiboner Kolahol”, in 2000, followed by “Din Joto Dukkho Toto” in 2002. The band later returned with “Run Out” in 2015, which was built around six songs composed for Tansen’s film of the same name.

The upcoming film will document Vikings’ journey from its early days to the present, including the members’ relationships, memories, struggles, successes and the story behind the band’s rise.

The project took shape during a 15-day stay at Ocean Paradise Hotel in Cox’s Bazar in September 2025. The band worked on initial sketches for the reimagined songs while also filming portions of the movie.

For Tansen, who previously directed “Run Out” and “Padma Patar Jol”, filmmaking was relatively familiar territory. For the other band members, however, acting and participating in the production brought a new experience.

“We are used to making music, but turning that journey into a film meant thinking about dialogue and acting as well,” Tansen said. “It was a completely different experience for all of us.”

Vikings has been less active on stage since 2024 as the band focused on the album and film. Tansen hopes the projects will help bring the band back into the live circuit with renewed momentum.

Following “Vikings Replayed”, the band also plans to begin work on a new album of original songs.