Artist: Heilung
Title: Futha
Genre: World Music / Neofolk / Black Metal / Trance / Ambient
Release Date: 28th June 2019
Label: Season Of Mist
Album Review
In 2015, HEILUNG self-released their debut album, ‘Ofnir’, which is an alternate name for Odin meaning ‘Inciter’. This album does exactly what the name describes, it incites! From the get go ‘Ofnir’ incites the senses; it invigorates and focuses your energies towards common purpose! That purpose is war! Whether it’s a war with a cause or a cause for war you are transported into a space where all the energies summoned can be used collectively towards a tribal goal. My shoulders go up, my chin comes down and my eyes narrow. ‘Ofnir’ is a very bevelled and embossed collection of sounds and poems that charismatically coax you to give full attention...
...’Futha’ exudes a different kind of energy, a feminine energy! Three years in the making and finished on the shortest day of the year in 2018, the symbolism is of the end of death and the morphing into rebirth, growth and renewal. The energy is no less intense than ‘Ofnir’ but less martial! ‘Futha’ is the first three letters of all runic alphabets, scholars disagree as to its precise meaning but an alternative meaning is inscribed onto the Hogstena Amulet used on the first track ‘Galgaldr’ and this means ‘Cunt’. What we are celebrating here is the magic potential of the yoni and its healing power and we are being connected to a time before women were stripped of their power and status within society by men reacting with fear and aggression to a changing world.
What’s on offer here is a whole spectrum of soundscapes ranging from the ambient to the hypnotic suffused with the votive and alliterative chants! Tracks like ‘Othan’ feel very relaxing in tone but under the surface it’s imbued with symbols to protect warriors at war. For those of you familiar with HEILUNG you’ll know this track has been around for a while, but now performed within the context of ‘Futha’. The feminine white mistress chants the words of Odin that were passed to man. ‘Traust’ is a spell of release supposedly chanted by ‘Idisi’ or female spirits. It’s chanted to free warriors caught in battle from their fetters. I like the male voices that come in after the half way point that sing a spell connected to the Helm of Awe. It’s a piece that has a nice meander and flow that I find quite encouraging!
‘Vapnatak’ begins with a recitation of the power of the creator, of how the mountains came to pass and of how the sun came into being from its primal ignition. Iron grows in the soil and in the blood before turning into swords. Warriors surrender their salvation to one all-powerful leader who they entrust their protection and glory. All this was performed under a reconstructed Germanic shield during the recording process! What I did notice about this album is similar lyrical and vocal phrasings and tones in certain tracks that are prominent in DEAD CAN DANCE’s recent album ‘Dionysus’. For example, the track ‘Svanrand’ (Swan Shield) which is an incantation to all the Valkyries reminds me of ‘The Invocation’. These sounds resonate deep with my core and successfully transport my Ond back in time to a more natural environment devoid of gadgets of modern day living. I can smell the earth, the breeze, the scent of pine, moss and earth. I can smell the cold...
‘Elivagar’ is cold, very cold! Great slabs of ice move against each other, they creak and groan, some splinter into a smaller pieces that take to the air in glinting shards, smashing to the ground in tiny needles sharp as blades! Images of menace, chilly hate and age old grudges dominate the image space on this track. On the other hand ‘Elddansurin’ is fire, the life giver and the life taker. This track is made from fire and the rhythmic hitting of timber. Like an Iron Age industrial trance track this piece pierces the very core of me! It’s modern whilst retaining its ancient purity. I feel released from the chains of processed modern living where my energy can move around in a joyous unfettered manner!
Album closer is ‘Hammrer Hippyer’, a track that has goose bumps and shivers enveloping my whole physical being and is the final dose of sonic medicine that never fails to do its job. A track that ends the live album ‘LIFA’ it’s not lost its power to leave or even weave its impression into the very fabric of ‘Futha’. Excuse me for one moment while I get up and dance... In summary, ‘Futha’ is an album that needs to be listened to, it needs to be listened to and understood, it needs to be felt! You need to read some books, it coaxes you to read some books but above all it needs to be enjoyed! HEILUNG haven’t just produced just over 70 minutes of music here, they have opened the door into other worlds just that little bit wider...
Felleg er fuþ sin bylli Fuþorglbasm
Tracklist
01. Galgaldr
02. Norupo
03. Othan
04. Traust
05. Vapnatak
06. Svanrand
07. Elivagar
08. Elddansurin
09.Hamrer Hippyer
Line-up
Kai Uwe Faust
Christopher Juul
Maria Franz
Website
http://www.facebook.com/amplifiedhistory
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 9
Sound: 9
Total: 9 / 10
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