The Pagan Music List 17: Ævestaden, Gåte, Wardruna
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Previous collections in this series have been archived here, and new collections of reviews will be posted monthly (supporters get early access to new collections—find out more here).
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Collection 17: Ævestaden, Gåte, Wardruna
Ævestaden
Nordic/Heathen
Recommended Album: Ingen Mere Gråter
Artist Website: https://aevestaden.bandcamp.com/
Ævestaden is a promising new band from Norway, consisting of a trio of traditional instrumentalists. Their music is very simple and delicate, without too much production or complication. This makes them rather rare in the current trend towards large scale musical production, which is why many other reviewers have expressed deep excitement over them.
So far they only have released one album, which is really quite good. Check out these two songs from it:
Gåte
Nordic, Ambient, Electro
Recommended Album: SVEVN
Artist Website: https://gaate-music.com/
I’ve always particularly been a fan of the small genre of Scandanavian electro-traditional, such as Garmarna, yet somehow never heard one of the oldest and most popular of these bands, Gåte, until just this week.
Formed in 2000 and still playing music, Gåte apparently never really gained much popularity outside of their home country of Norway. However, within Norway they managed to release two top selling albums (including their first, Jygri, which reached number 1 in Norway’s charts).
Their music is really the perfect blend of punk and electro tendencies with traditional themes and instruments, and though I’m a bit embarassed I’d never heard of them before, I’m even more excited that I’ve got another band to listen to.
Check out especially their recent song Hemnarsverdet, a folk tale about a sword of vengeance which kills both innocent and guilty.
Another excellent song of theirs is Huldra, which more of a metal influence. It’s about a Scandinavian forest creature (a Huldra or Hulder) somewhat similar to the oldest Celtic understandings of faeries (not as winged creatures but nature spirits who preceded human settlement).
Wardruna
Nordic/Heathen
Recommended Album:
Artist Website http://www.wardruna.com/
There are a few heavyweight bands that each really deserve very long listings, especially because of their significant output and influence on other bands. Such groups act as a kind of musical keystone species, holding together entire genres, setting musical standards, and drawing in listeners who then later discover other groups. When reviewing these groups, however, I’ve tried to give them as much equal treatment as smaller bands, but it’s really hard to do this with Wardruna because they’re so damn amazing.
Wardruna was formed in 2003 by lead musician and singer Einar Selvik, whose feral yet deeply intimate vocals define all their music. Since forming, they’ve release five albums and have composed and performed the soundtrack for a popular television series (Vikings), and in particular have worked heavily with less known groups and singers to promote and create their music.
Warduna means “keeper of secrets,” and there’s absolutely a mystical, almost initiatory aspect in all their songs. Every one of their albums is worth listening to in it entirety, especially because each becomes a seamless whole evoking an esoteric, primal theme.
While I listen to them very often, I’ll admit that Wardruna—along with Eluveitie—is most often part of my gym soundtrack. Particularly of late, their song Lyfjaberg is something I listen to on repeat when pushing and lifting very heavy weights around:
The song Raido is another favorite of mine. As with many of their songs, it’s composed upon the theme of a specific rune (ᚱ).
And though I’ve listed this song before, the track that Wardruna did with Faun is probably the best heathen song I’ve ever heard.