Experimental folk collective Heilung (which means Healing in German) rather aptly describes their sound as amplified history; they’ve often taken inspiration for their music from ancient texts and documents. Old world instrumentation and techniques, coupled with ancient texts form the basis of their rituals.
Until now that has largely been focused on the prehistoric Germanic cultures of Northern Europe, often drawing comparisons to contemporaries such as Wardruna. Waving goodbye to Futha, Heilung begins a new chapter with third album, Drif (Season of Mist), meaning Gathering, which is fitting indeed as with this album, we see Heilung expand their musical archeological exploration further afield to gather the music of non-European prehistoric civilizations, such as ancient Sumerian.
‘Asja’ itself is a beautiful love song opening with the throat singing of Kai Uwe Faust before Maria Franz’s exquisite vocals join in, initially alternating before overlapping at the end with wonderful effect. First single ‘Anoana’ takes its lyrics from Bracteates (golden coins from the 4th to 7th centuries) and is another standout track of the album, the vocals are wonderful.
Thirteen-minute ‘Tenet’ starts off with a recitation of the Sator Square, a four-directional palindrome that inspired Christopher Nolan’s Tenet and is a hypnotic experience, with a melody based on ancient systems and melodies. It’s a masterpiece of composition given that each of the parts constituting the songs is also a musical palindrome, playing the same backward as it does forward.
‘Keltentrauer’ is a poem recited in German, which describes the clashes between the Celts and the Romans. ‘Nesso’ is an incredible performance from Maria Franz, displaying an impressive range of vocal abilities, especially as it was recorded in a single take.
‘Nikkal’ is genuinely fascinating, a recording of the world’s oldest song, ‘Hymn to Nikkal’. This is based on a 1984 academic paper ;A Hurrian Musical Score’ from Ugarit: The Discovery of Mesopotamian Music by Marcelle Duchesne-Guillemin a Sumerian song that was found on a 3,400-year-old clay tablet. This had all the potential to be more of an interesting academic experience, but Heilung succeeds in their mission to truly bring it to life and be accessible.
‘Marduk’ remains in Sumer/ancient Mesopotamia and see’s Kai whispering the fifty names of the Babylonian king of the gods backed with singing bowls.
All in all, Drif is a bold step forward that sees them pushing boundaries further and shining a light outside of the already quite well-represented Nordic folk music scene. Clearly expanding their mission outside of familiar territory was a bold move that more than pays off.
There’s no doubt that there are probably not quite as many bands who put quite as much thought into their music as Heilung and expanding as they have there could be the danger that the music being more academic exercise than anything. However, they navigate this well despite the step outside their comfort zone. That hard work pays off, though full appreciation takes a number of listens.
Buy the album here: https://www.amplifiedhistorytour.com/
Win tickets to see the band at select dates of the US tour here:
8 / 10
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