Ages of swords may one day perish but its legacy will forever reign in the eternity of Valhalla– or so I think. Skálmöld, whose name literally translates as Age of Swords, are back on leading yet another Viking battle, with their highly anticipated sixth full-length album entitled Ýdalir (Napalm Records), which has released some other Nordic folk/viking metal counterparts as well such as Brymir and Månegarm.
At this point some thirty years into their illustrious career, Enslaved have truly transcended into their own musical entity. Creating a genre in their own image with a highly unique sound that still stays true to their extreme metal roots, but also blends the darkness with the light of progressive rock, and providing two distinct and opposing vocal styles in a way that no other band does.
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”.
The Palladium, Worcester, MA 9/8/2022
Sometimes your mind is clouded by your own thoughts, and you just need to get yourself saged, and howl throughout the night. I’m seeing Heilung on the 19th anniversary of my mother’s passing. I definitely felt some kind of way that day. If you’re still not familiar with Heilung by this point in time, the short answer is, they are an earthly ritual based performance.
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.Continue reading