Steeped in Nordic mythology, France’s Skáld draw extensively on traditional folk music and employ the Old Norse language for many of their lyrics. Huldufólk (Decca / Universal Music) is the group’s fourth full-length release and is themed around the subject of its title: huldufólk, or “hidden people” is the name given to the mythical beings — elves, dwarves, trolls — that populate Nordic folklore. Moreover, according to the press release accompanying this record, the work honours “an entire people in whom many Scandinavians still believe”.
Sonically, the musical arrangements owe more to what we have come to know as “folk” than to rock or metal. A plethora of guest musicians join the band’s core to contribute to a rich and intricately textured tapestry of traditional acoustic instrumental parts. Didgeridoo and hurdy-gurdy drones are underpinned by driving shamanic drum grooves while an ever-shifting colour palette of traditional plucked and bowed string instrument layers dance in and out with a grace and subtlety that belies the pieces’ visceral power.
The sound is suffused with an elusive and indefinable but instantly familiar soul — we might call it duende. An intense, longing sadness (saudade, perhaps) drips from every musical note as these driving and ritualistic pieces seem to stare right inside the deep darkness that overhangs the condition of being alive.
That said, as these songs build and surge (and they all do), an elevating spirit rises out of them, as if lighting a fire to illuminate the harsh landscape of an otherwise pitch-black and ice-covered Scandinavian winter. Indeed, Huldufólk seems to draw us in towards the warmth of its spreading flames whilst also warning us of the dangers of getting too close.
Myriad singers contribute to a wonderfully abundant forest of vocal layering. Various choirs (expertly arranged), gracefully gliding solo singers, bewitching whispers and furious growls all contribute to a vocal landscape that is by turns beautiful and frightening.
Some might find the style a little too consistent throughout — most of the songs are similar in their one-note drone basis, their urgent and mesmerising pace, and their ever-building dynamic drive. The record also ends with two covers — Rammstein’s ‘Du Hast’ and The Cure’s ‘A Forest’ — which, whilst well-assimilated into SKÁLD’s style, feel somewhat superfluous, perhaps even a little silly at times. None of that, however, does much to blunt the undeniable impact of Huldufólk. It feels somehow both fiercely of the avant-garde (in the truest sense) and as deeply familiar and universally meaningful as a star-filled sky or a tree shaking in the wind.
Fans of Myrkur, Wardruna, Heilung, and even those of very un-metal outfits such as Afro Celt Sound System or Outback, will no doubt feel an instant connection with Skáld and Huldufólk. Its fusion of traditional textures and imagery with hints at the raw power of modern heavy music ignites the senses, touches the soul, and (even if you don’t understand the lyrics) brings to life the folklore of the land which inspired it.
Buy the album here:
8 / 10
DUNCAN EVANS