The PAGAN MUSIC LIST is an attempt to create a comprehensive list of Pagan, Heathen, Esoteric, Animist, and related music that we listen to and love. We include embedded YouTube, Soundcloud, or Bandcamp links when possible for each artist.

Previous collections in this series have been archived here, and new collections of reviews will be posted monthly (supporters get early access to new collections—find out more here).

We also provide a constantly updated index of artists that we have reviewed by name and genre.

And if you are a Spotify listener, you can click on the embedded player to listen to the full updated playlist!

Collection 15: Vévaki, Anilah, Eldrim

Vévaki

Nordic/Heathen

Recommended Album: Edda

Artist Website: https://vevaki.bandcamp.com/

When I first started listening to pagan music decades ago, it was incredibly difficult to find really good Nordic/Heathen inspired bands that weren’t just metal. Reflecting back on the last 14 collections of this series and my growing list of new bands to review, it’s become pretty obvious that most of the new music is exactly what had been missing.

Vévaki is yet another of these groups, one that’s been playing really frequently on repeat in my headphones. The band is headed by Will Hunter, whose vocals are surprisingly haunting and lush to the point of being almost erotic (sometimes reminiscent of Maynard James Keenan from Tool). His voice, however, meshes perfectly with the other superb musicianship (especially the nyckelharpa), making it just another instrument in songs with symphonic quality.

Vévaki is a portmanteau of several words, referring to one of Oðinn’s brother’s, the word for sacred in Old Norse, and the Icelandic word for a kind of dance: thus, “sacred dance.” Their first album, Edda, is as you might imagine a musical retelling of several stories from that lore.

My favorite song thus far is Hangatýr (‘god of the hanged,’ one of the many names of Oðinn), a deeply hypnotic piece:

Also quite good is Þá Kvað Völva, whose lyrics are the first nine lines of Völuspá, a poem which tells of the birth of the world.

Anilah

NEoFolk,Vocal

Recommended Album: Warrior

Artist Website: https://anilah.ca/

Anilah is a project by Dréa Drury, a Canadian-born singer who mixes native, Vedic, and Nordic musical styles to create songs for cathartic, emotional states.

Anilah is best known for her collaboration with Einar Selvik (of Wardruna) and work on the soundtrack for the television show Vikings. Her music has also been used by a company co-created by Brian Eno that uses music for “psychedelic psychotherapy.”

Her song “Warrior” was later re-envisioned with Einar Selvik, and it’s probably her best well-known:

Also, here is the first single released from her latest album Chrysalis, entitled The Loom.

I took your ashes to the lake,
I made a place of offering,
I pulled my needle through your name,
And let the water wash away...

Eldrim

Nordic/HEathen

Recommended Album:

Artist Website:https://eldrimmusic.com

Eldrim is a vocal-heavy Scandinavian band which performs exclusively with hand-made traditional instruments. Often the music itself is sparse, giving their songs a distinctly medieval choral feel. This fits their history: Eldrim started out as a Viking/medieval performance group before adding more stage elements to their performances.

Eldrim’s debut album, Kvile, is definitely worth your attention as a complete album.

The first track from that album is Draum, which is a lament for dead warriors.

Not on that album (possibly a single from an upcoming release) is the song “Tru,” for which they have also released a video:

The Pagan Music List 15: Vévaki, Anilah, Eldrim