Heilung Review

Heilung — which in German means “Healing” — first met at Viking re-enactment events and now travel the globe performing music and reading poetry inspired by Viking culture. They use animal skin drums, bones, and other instruments to craft ritualistic music for performances around the globe.

Ofnir

Kai met Christopher and Maria through the Viking reenactment community where they all participated, where Kai first encountered Christopher playing piano and Maria playing folk music; together they began working on recording what became Heilung in 2014. Christopher, trained classically in piano playing, runs his own recording studio while Kai and Maria each bring unique musical backgrounds that contribute to creating Heilung’s distinctive sound.

The trio independently released Ofnir in 2015 and quickly made headlines thanks to their incredible live shows. One such performance at Castlefest and Midgardsblot Metalfestival earned them one of Metal Hammer’s Top performances of 2017.

Their concerts are meant to evoke pagan rituals, complete with incense and Tibetan and Mongolian throat-singing. Additionally, period-correct instruments made from animal bones and skins are featured during performances. This band thinks big about its audience impact – their music takes us on an unforgettable journey, not to be missed in live performance!

Futha

Heilung is an amazing band. Playing experimental pagan Germanic and Scandinavian folk music that sounds ancient, their live shows take audiences on an incredible musical journey back to Bronze Age Britain where druids, seers and shamans performed ritualistic music – an unforgettable experience that leaves you changed for ever!

Heilung’s approach to neofolk music is more shamanic and ceremonial than that of more accessible acts like Wardruna and Myrkur. Their “amplified history” mixes primitive tribal rhythms with wordless invocations of long-forgotten gods.

“Norupo” was inspired by a runic text still debated among experts, using moody synths, tribal percussion and animalistic throat singing to craft an atmospheric track suitable for post-battle scenes in Game of Thrones. Their music has an appealing deep, haunted feel that appeals to metal and goth fans alike; beyond just musical aesthetic, however, it resonates with its listeners subconsciously.

Lifa

Imagine traveling both physically and temporally back in time to witness an ancient oak grove on the winter solstice as druids, seers, and shamans perform primal rituals of ancient origin with chants and dance performed by druids, seers, and shamans in an incredible performance by Heilung; their music speaks not only about war but also healing.

Heilung was formed in Copenhagen in 2014 under Danish producer Christopher Juul’s production, German singer Kai Uwe Faust and Norwegian singer Maria Franz. The band describes itself as an amplified history from early medieval northern Europe using period-correct costumes and instruments such as animal skin drums, osteomancy (human and animal bones) and rattles to create an unforgettable musical experience.

No matter if it invokes nature or Norse mythology, Heilung’s music inspires reverence. Even including Native American dancers during “Hamrer Hippyer” was an incredible tribute to our shared humanity; an evening that left us transformed. Without question this performance by Heilung should not be missed!

Drif

Since 2014, Danish-inspired band HEILUNG have been weaving melodic pathways back through history with each album released – Ofnir and Futha have received immense critical acclaim and have established an ever-increasing following. However, their latest release, Drif, stands out as their strongest and most emotive effort yet.

The album explores ancient civilizations through music. While their previous releases focused on medieval northern Europe, this record features songs with global reach that incorporate more percussion for an immersive ritualistic experience.

Kai Uwe Faust, Christopher Juul, and Maria Franz formed Heilung in 2014. As musical historical reenacters performing Viking folk metal in an entertaining theatrical manner both live and recorded they combine counterbalanced vocals with heavy percussion to evoke a feeling of ritualistic ceremonies; creating their distinctive sound which appeals to fans of both metal and goth music alike.