Heilung – Traveling Through Time With Druids, Seers and Shamans

Heilung’s performance transports you back in time to an oak grove during Solstice; their ritualistic music performed by druids, seers and shamans is mesmerizing with its combination of chants, throat singing and instruments that seem as though they came straight out of history; all with elaborate costumes and props to complete the experience.

Heilung’s musical style is a distinctive mix of experimental pagan Germanic and Scandinavian folk music from long ago, making them captivating live performers. What really stands them out is their deep historical engagement and ambitious live shows; that is what draws so much interest on metal scene: other bands drawing upon pre-Christian history like Norwegian band Wardruna have focused solely on specific eras or regions; Heilung has much wider goals.

Kai Uwe Faust, a German tattoo artist specializing in Old Norse designs, and Danish producer Christopher Juul first met each other through Viking reenactments held worldwide to recreate late Iron Age skills like weaving, smithing and building. They began playing casually, trading tattoos for production work; gradually they developed into an entire band including vocalist Maria Franz.

They possess an acute social consciousness, with their work centering around reclaiming Viking culture from neo-Nazis. Each performance opens with a poem reminding viewers that we all belong together – humans and animals alike.

Their songs explore a wide range of historical themes with an otherworldly aesthetic, drawing inspiration from texts and runic inscriptions from Germanic peoples from the Bronze, Iron and Viking Ages; their style can be described as experimental folk or “amplified history from early medieval northern Europe.”

Drif is no different: its melodic sounds take listeners back through history to prehistoric northern Europe with lyrics that draw listeners in and transport them there. But this trio doesn’t plan to stop there: their third album plans call for taking us further back in time and exploring other ancient civilizations as well.

In 2021, this band‘s mysterious musical journey will continue with the release of their first ever live album. They’re currently gearing up for their autumn tour which includes stops at London’s Brixton Academy and Colorado’s Red Rocks Amphitheatre as well as creating an album dedicated to female warriors from ancient Viking culture – so their future certainly seems bright!