Artist: WardrunaTitle: Skugge (Shadow)
Genre: Pagan / Norse / Neofolk / Ambient / Viking / Folk
Release Date: 15th January 2021
Label: Fimbulljod Productions. (Issued under exclusive license to Sony Music Entertainment)
Single Review
On the 22nd of January the masters of Norwegian storytelling, WARDRUNA, will release their 5th album. ‘Kvitravn’ will be the most current collection of music and poetry released since 2009’s ‘Runaljod - Gap Var Ginnunga’. Numerous tracks have been released in the past nine months or so to tease us and prepare us for the impending album’s unfettering. ‘Skugge’ is the final offering before the main event!
I love it! It has an intoxicating purity to it that draws you into its thoughtful and mesmeric bosom. I ask my shadow many questions and on many occasions I wait for the answer to come forth. It never does. And then just when I least expect it a faint whisper emanates from the depths of my being! And the clarity and pointedness of the answer has to be grasped because in a moment it evaporates into thousands of tiny particles which blow away on the breeze. The adept listener eventually becomes attuned to the tune of the shadow and in time you and it became one.
That is my interpretation of the track and the lyrics, the pace and the accompanying lyric video sum this up perfectly. The production is what you’d expect from WARDRUNA, all the elements within the composition are well spaced to give the piece breathiness and depth. Nothing here is pointless or frivolous and that is one of the reasons why I like WARDRUNA. There’s a symmetry here that pleases. And it has certainly wetted my appetite for the release of ‘Kvitravn’ on the 22nd of January. You can watch the lyric video here: https://youtu.be/CDMIbVFCz7A
Tracklist
01. Skugge
Line-up
Einar Selvik - Vocals, Tagelharpa, Kravik Lyre, Bukkehorn
Lindy-Fay Hella - Vocals
Arne Sandvoll - Percussion, Backing Vocals
Eilif Gundersen - Bukkehorn, Lur, Flute, Backing Vocals
HC Dalgaard - Drums, Percussion, Backing Vocals
John Stenersen - Mora Harp
Website
http://www.wardruna.com
Cover Picture
Rating
Music: 9
Sound: 9
Total: 9 / 10
