Folk-Ambient Norwegian Metal Band Wardruna

Wardruna are best known in America for their contribution to History Channel show Vikings. However, their music goes far beyond just providing background for some exciting action scenes.

Einar Selvik of Gorgoroth fame leads this band that brings Nordic spiritualism and nature alive through an assortment of ancient instruments. Now with album number five, Kvitravn, their journey through what has come to be known as Ginnungagap (The gaping hole) continues with musical success.

Origins

Wardruna was formed by multi-instrumentalist Einar Selvik (who also plays drums in black metal band Gorgoroth), captivating audiences with its distinctive style of music. From medieval vibes to heavy metal purists – Wardruna charms audiences with its distinct sound! Their mystical, meditative compositions sound at home anywhere, even Game of Thrones scenes! Wardruna draws fans both Viking fanatics and metalheads alike.

Wardruna stands apart from its genre-defining peers by creating its own sound that stands apart. Their musical interpretations of ancient Norse traditions draw influence from early Nordic instruments and recreate cultic musical languages; all while creating near forgotten arts like galder and seidr.

Their lyrics draw heavily upon Norse mythology and paganism, exploring themes like death, rebirth, fate, honor, and nature in their discography. Recently collaborating with Ivar Bjornson of Enslaved on an album entitled Skuggsja, there’s no denying their strong connections with metal scenes worldwide.

Sound

Wardruna are making waves in an otherwise under-appreciated subgenre of folk metal music – they stand out with their innovative take on ancient runes and Norse mythology, exploring themes such as death, rebirth, fate, honour, nature and animism through traditional instruments used in their music but the results sound more modern and dark compared to what one might expect in traditional heavy metal sounds; their motoric number “Skugge” for instance sounds more like Rammstein than Vikings yet remain fully in their roots!

Wardruna are captivating for their commitment to their craft. Einar Selvik emphasizes this point by stressing it is not about romantic ideals but more so the need to preserve and share their culture, with instruments such as primitive deer-hide frame drums, animal rib flutes, mouth harps crafted out of wood, singing Old Norse lyrics as an integral component of performances being an essential part of the experience.

Lyrics

Einar Selvik and Wardruna place an emphasis on sharing their culture rather than simply preserving it, using music inspired by runes to do just this. Their goal is to forge connections between runes, nature, region, mythology and music itself.

These relationships form the core of what gives this group its distinctive sound. While their music may often be labeled folk, world or ambient genres do not adequately describe its essence.

Kvitravn is their latest album that explores Norns, or spirits who act as arbiters of our fates. Lyrically speaking, its message can be described as an ode to Norse gods, nature and ancient wisdom – while also speaking to our current climate emergency through music that speaks directly to this message and speaks of human longing for connection represented through traditional instruments, sounds and languages as well as by spirit animals like ravens who appear in videos for each of their songs.

Video

With the recent rise of “neofolk” artists like Author & Punisher and Wardruna, it has become easier to see how this more traditional folk genre can be applied in new ways. Both musicians utilize their backgrounds in heavy metal music to craft timeless music using traditional instruments rather than synthesizers.

As part of their belief in “sowing new seeds and strengthening old roots”, Kvitrafn (multi-instrumentalist, instrument builder) and Lindy-Fay Hella from Gorgoroth as well as Einar Selvik as main composer have collaborated in creating this band, which has produced three albums based around Elder Futhark runes.

Though their sound could be classified as folk, world and ambient music, their approach is an exploration of paganism that draws upon Nordic spiritualism and traditional Norwegian instruments like deer-hide frame drums, Kraviklyra, tagelharpe (mouth harp) mouth harp goat horn as well as field recordings of Norwegian nature sounds. Additionally, this band claims their music stems directly from runes themselves which renders their work immune from current context-specific criticisms.