Celtic/ Nordic Folk

[GeorD]

Recently I've started enjoying Nordic Folk a lot. It touches something tribal and hypnotic deep within, similarly to what Progressive Trance can do to me, but with more focus on the intimacy and the experience rather than on intricate sound design and arrangement.

However, Heilung as an absolutely INCREDIBLE sound designer and mixer on stage doing live sound effects, bringing a lot of Trancy elements (stuttering vocal beds for instance) to the mix, resulting in some very charged atmospheres. And somehow it's all quite balanced.

So I wonder what the general opinion is over here?


Tip: the second half of Elddansurin has some incredible harmonies.

 

[Parysatis]

I have seen Heilung live on stage and I have all their albums on vinyl, a very cool band.

 

[GeorD]

That must have been amazing, it's definitely on my list to see them live at least once!

 

[Katadunkass]

Finally some good fucking music

 

[Parysatis]

That must have been amazing, it's definitely on my list to see them live at least once!

It was a memorable evening, the concert was sold out. The people there were completely different from those at Trance, Techno or Psytrance events, most of them from the metal, medieval, gothic or Neo-Pagan scene. The program was similar to their live album Lifa - Heilung Live at Castlefest. They played In Maidjan:, for example. Though this video is from another concert, it catches the vibe nicely:



Here is another video from the same concert:



Maria Franz is an incredible singer. The sound was ok for the location where I saw them ...
They are on tour right now and I will see them soon again. Yay!

 

[Parysatis]

Kalandra is another band which I have seen live. I was surprised how good they sounded on stage, just beautiful! At the concert I bought their album Kingdom Two Crowns: Norse Lands Soundtrack, which is more ambient-like and very beautiful.




Eikþyrnir is a stag in Norse mythology. He stands on the roof of Valhalla and gnaws at the branches of the tree Læraðr. In the Lay of Grímnir of the Edda it says:
"From his horn antlers it drips to Hvergelmir. That is where all the streams come from ..."

 

[GeorD]

Thank you for sharing more of your experiences! So far I've mainly listened to their live versions, they capture an atmosphere the studio versions just cannot for me, and that's why I know I have to see them live some day. And indeed, Maria is incredible, how she can switch so easily between all those styles . Ooh I'm jealous you'll visit them again, haha! They visit around here too, but I was too late sadly.

That ambient side of Kalandra I also really like, thanks for sharing!

 

[Jetflag]

dunno if this counts, but i've always considered Enya/ Clannad to be template Celtic music.

 

[Parysatis]

Meanwhile, I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Heilung and Kalandra again. The second Heilung concert felt a bit more usual compared to the first time I saw them. It was at the same venue, and their performance was quite similar to their earlier show. This time, they had a metal band as their support ...

On the other hand, I liked Kalandra's concert much more. Just like the first time, they sounded fantastic on stage. Obviously, their sound engineer is very good. They were playing with another artist, Lily Refrain. She creates looper-based music, I enjoyed her performance very much! That concert was just wonderful!

 

[Parysatis]

Wonderful release by Gói on Bandcamp

 

[GeorD]

Thanks for sharing this Gói track - I like it a lot! Didn't know about them yet.

I do hope to catch Heilung without the metal backing, thanks for mentioning that. Both concerts sound like awesome experiences nonetheless.

 

[Parysatis]

Next time I will see Heilung together with The Hu, a Mongolian folk metal band. That will be fun!

 

[Parysatis]

Here is a track with a bit more energy from the Bandcamp page of Danheim from Denmark, the title Munarkaldr roughly translate to something like "Cold of the Mind" or "The Mind’s Cold"...


I quite like the name Ashenfell, ... sounds familiar, I am the Parysatis of the Ashfall ...

 

[Parysatis]

What a fantastic recording of this song! From the live album Iotungard by Heilung ...


The song's name is Norupo, which is a little riddle ... it is the Norwegian Rune Poem, I love this ...

Maðr er moldar auki
Mikil er græip á hauki.

Mankind is mud given glory,
Mighty is the grasp of the hawk.

 

[facade1984]

Before I clicked on this thread I just assumed it was a gathering of Scottish and Scandinavian people

 

[GeorD]

What a fantastic recording of this song! From the live album Iotungard by Heilung ...


The song's name is Norupo, which is a little riddle ... it is the Norwegian Rune Poem, I love this ...

Maðr er moldar auki
Mikil er græip á hauki.

Mankind is mud given glory,
Mighty is the grasp of the hawk.

Oh yeah I love this concert, especially the recording of Elddansurin.
Thanks for providing a bit of trivia on Norupo!

 

[Parysatis]

Before I clicked on this thread I just assumed it was a gathering of Scottish and Scandinavian people

Everyone is welcome!

 

[LostLegend]

Probably best known for her track 'The Best is Yet to Come' from the Metal Gear Solid soundtrack, the rest of her music is great also. Has that new age Clannad vibe to it.

 

[Narel]

It was a memorable evening, the concert was sold out. The people there were completely different from those at Trance, Techno or Psytrance events, most of them from the metal, medieval, gothic or Neo-Pagan scene. The program was similar to their live album Lifa - Heilung Live at Castlefest. They played In Maidjan:, for example. Though this video is from another concert, it catches the vibe nicely:



Here is another video from the same concert:



Maria Franz is an incredible singer. The sound was ok for the location where I saw them ...
They are on tour right now and I will see them soon again. Yay!

Wow. I am very glad I clicked on this thread. I had no idea this stuff existing. Bloody fantastic. I love Tibetan throat singing so this drew me right in. Fantastic atmospheres in the background, the female vocalist is next level. I also love folks who take their shit too seriously, wikipedia says the following about this lot:
As instruments, items are used that may have been already available to humans in the Iron Age, such as drums, bones or spears. According to an August 2018 interview, the instruments they use consist of:

• drums, including one with horse skin painted with human blood, two drums with deerskin and a drum with goatskin
• bones, including a human forearm bone and deer bones
• a buffalo horn rattle
• a clay rattle with human ashes
• a Hindu ritual bell
• antiques from temples
• a reconstructed silver cup from the Viking age
• a ravanahatha (an ancient instrument used in India, Sri Lanka and surrounding areas, originating from Hela People, then brought to North India by Hanuman, then to India)
• other rattles, whistles, and percussive instruments

 

[Parysatis]

Myrkur - Tor i Helheim from the album Folkesange