Music For Nations/Sony 24th January 2025
Wardruna are elder states-people of their own genre now, having been releasing records for fifteen years and created a unique and evolving sound. From their ‘Runaljod’ trilogy, starting in 2009 to here is quite a journey. Initially a drone-heavy dark place, conjuring images of dark spaces beyond open fires with wolves outside, balancing the extreme contrasts of heat and cold on one body, drums and chanting made for a heavy atmosphere. Which was, of course, picked up for soundtracks.
Over the years, the collective are recognisably the same, yet more conventional melody has crept in and I find myself humming along at times – listen to the choral work of ‘Himinndottir’ and see what I mean. There are pieces recognisable as traditional ballad form, like ‘Hibjornen’, whereas a piece like the penultimate ‘Skuggehesten’ shows the continued appeal to the metal / prog audience, pounding forward like a heavy horse at a gallop while a female voice wails behind the grunt-spoken lyrics. The focus is still intense and coloured red and black but the sound has more more range than before. At one point the band were interpreted as Viking re-enactors but their leader, Einar Selvik, now sees them as using a researched ‘best-guess’ approach to using old language and historic instruments to make new music, not a re-imagining.
A seven-piece, heavy on vocals and drums, horns, flute and ancient fiddle add colour. Lyrics and music are the work of Einar Selvik and Lindy-Fay Hella, mainstays of the ensemble and main vocalists. Those lyrics cover the deep spaces of folklore, though it could be anything to these ears. Previously we’ve had runes and we’ve had the sayings of Odin; this time we are looking at the lore of the bear. A symbol of wild nature, both dangerous and loving, the bear is a feature of many mythologies yet ever-less present as people systematically eliminate all predators and cage the fears of the forest. Take, for example, the fuss in Scotland in January 2025 when lynx were found in the wild, rounded up and caged.
The piece uses field-recordings, ensemble playing and some guest appearances to explore the annual cycle for the bear, reflecting the cycles of life. The quiet awakening to a busy summer preparing for a quietening into hibernation. The title, ‘Birna’ is Old Norse for bear. The bear has many similarities to the human (some use it as a guide to what is edible on bushes and roots) and it’s disappearance reflects on the shrinking free wildness in human society. Yet that disappearance is down to us fighting to protect the animals we keep to eat. Whether any of this is reflected lyrically, I have no idea but the music creates a space to think and imagine.
The addition of a choir (Koret Artemis) has opened up a new horizon for the band and there is a flowing richness that textures the sound further as they continue their mission to re-invent and re-imagine ancient traditions. As ‘Tretale’ winds slowly to a close with flutes and choir, the spirit of the bear has been fully conjured, celebrated and lamented through the inherent sadness of appreciating anything deeply.
This feels like a rite and a spiritual journey.
Wardruna – ‘Kvitravn – First Flight Of The White Raven’ – “an excellent introduction / celebration”
Wardruna – Runaljod – Ragnarok is heavy Viking music that is not of this world