Wardruna

WARDRUNA release new song and music video for Hertan

Amidst Wardruna´s song-writing hibernation, the group resurfaces to offer a taste of their next album with the single release and music video for the song Hertan. The song is available on all digital streaming platforms now.

Einar Selvik comments on the new song: ““Hertan” is the proto-Scandinavian word for “heart” and that is exactly what we explore in this song and film. The duality of the heart with the rhythm, flow and pulse we can see, hear, and feel in nature and in all forms of life – and the more abstract idea of the heart, The rudder on the ship of emotions, our decisions, and our true desires.”
 
Once again, Wardruna teamed up with Finnish director and photographer Tuukka Koski for the video production of Hertan. Koski has previously directed Wardruna´s videos for Raido, Voluspá, and Grá. This time, the production mainly took place during some freezing nights in northern Finland at the island of Hailouto.
 
Einar about the video shooting process: “It is always a true pleasure to create art with Tuukka and his colleagues at Breakfast Helsinki! His experience and eye for detail as well as the ability to always conjure up next-level material, is very inspiring to be part of. Three days, three locations, no sleep but a lot of heart. This is how it went down. Hope you will enjoy the result!”

Hertan Cover | Picture by Tuukka Koski | Design by Øivind Myksvoll

ABOUT WARDRUNA

Hertan, the proto-Scandinvian word for heart, is steeped in Wardruna tradition. With this new song, Wardruna announce the beginning of a vibrant new cycle, pulsating with life. The song explores the rhythm of pulse, a flow visible in all forms of life and in nature, and the heart as the rider of decisions.
 
Making room for something new to come into being, the Norwegian group ends the Kvitravn touring cycle in a remarkable way. During the autumn equinox on September 21, 2023, Wardruna performed at the world heritage site Odeon of Herodes Atticus, Acropolis, Athens. The event sold out quickly, with fans from all over the world attending.
 
The concert at the Acropolis is the culmination of an intense period of touring, with successful shows in the United States, Norway, Iceland and the United Kingdom. In 2022, Wardruna headlined the festivals Wacken Open Air in Germany and Hellfest Open Air in France and saw the group perform at historic sites, such as Ancient Theater in Plovdiv and Castle Devin, Bratislava during the Nordic Night Tour. In 2023, the second leg of the Kvitravn touring cycle took place throughout the summer with Wardruna playing (festival) shows in Germany, France, The Netherlands and a concert at Borgholm Castle in Sweden. 

At the heart of Wardruna lies the vision of sowing new seeds and strengthening old roots, a concept that main composer Einar Selvik, Lindy-Fay Hella and former member Gaahl bought to life in 2009. The first three albums formed the Runaljod trilogy and featured musical renditions based on the Nordic runes. Each of the three releases focused around eight of the twenty-four Proto-Norse runes, more commonly known as the Elder Futhark. The trilogy consists of Runaljod – gap var Ginnunga (2009), Runaljod – Yggdrasil (2013), Runaljod – Ragnarok (2016).

After years of acoustic concerts and lectures, performing Wardruna songs and creations made for the TV-show Vikings, Einar Selvik recorded Skald (2018). The album was recorded live with the intention of capturing the raw and uncompromising energy of the live performance. It set out to give a voice to the ancient craft that once lay at the foundation of the Norse oral traditions, presented as it takes shape in the hands of a humble contemporary skald today.

Wardruna’s fifth full-length Kvitravn (White-Raven) was released in January 2021. The album musically continues where the Runaljod trilogy left off, yet it marks a distinct evolution in the group’s sound. Throughout eleven songs, Kvitravn discusses Northern sorcery, spirit-animals, shadows, nature and animism, the wisdom and meanings of certain myths, various Norse spiritual concepts, and the relation between sage and songs. The record charted in 13 countries, including #1 in Canada and Austria, and #2 in Germany. A year later, the band presented a virtual live experience in the form of First Flight of the White Raven, also landing in the official German Album Charts.

The period between First Flight of the White Raven and Hertan, is not without creative output. A new rendition of Voluspá (live with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra) came out in June 2023. Einar Selvik also performed on national Norwegian television with electronic dance music DJ Matoma and joined Faroese singer-songwriter Eivør and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra for a symphonic concert series. One of the duets, Voluspá (live with Eivør) shall be released physically on Record Store Day in April 2024, in the United States, Canada and Germany. Now a new cycle begins with Hertan and Wardruna soon announce new live dates in support of this new release. 
 
As a live band Wardruna operates in various constellations of personnel but the standard configuration the last years has been as follows:

Einar Selvik – Vocals, Taglharpa, Kravik-lyre, Bukkehorn
Lindy-Fay Hella – Vocals
Arne Sandvoll – Percussion, Backing vocals
Sondre Veland – Percussion, Backing vocals
Eilif Gundersen – Bukkehorn, Lur, Flute, Backing vocals
HC Dalgaard – Drums, Percussion, Backing vocals
John Stenersen – Mora-harp
 
Discography
Runaljod – gap var Ginnunga (2009)
Runaljod – Yggdrasil (2013)
Runaljod – Ragnarok (2016)
Skald (2018)
Kvitravn (2021)
Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven (2022)

Wardruna Announce Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven, a special, immersive audio release

WARDRUNA ANNOUNCE KVITRAVN – FIRST FLIGHT OF THE WHITE RAVEN RELEASE, ARRIVING APRIL 22ND ON MULTIPLE FORMATS

PRE-ORDER HERE

UK LIVE SHOWS ARE APPROACHING IN MARCH 2022

WATCH ‘SOLRINGEN – FIRST FLIGHT OF THE WHITE RAVEN LIVE VERSION

In 2022, a year after the release of Kvitravn and as a prelude to the forthcoming and much anticipated live dates, Wardruna are presenting Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven. An immersive audio arrangement that underscores the experiential paradigm shift and masterful musicianship of their superlative and boundary-pushing virtual live experience First Flight of the White Raven of March 26th 2021. This new release captures their special set list consisting of songs from Kvitravn and a selection of favourites from the discography, and will be released on a 2LP, as well as 2CD that also features the original studio album track listing. To mark the event’s exceptional impact, it will also be available as a limited Boxset Edition including 2LP (black), 2CD, DVD with livestream performance and bonus documentary material and three videos (only available in the boxed set), flag of the CD album cover, certificate of authenticity for the box and an exclusive autographed card signed by Einar Selvik. Tracklisting and credits below

“Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven is an audio-visual ‘live-in-studio’ recording that was broadcasted online, as the release show of the Kvitravn album. It was recorded in a time when it was not allowed to perform in front of an audience, which made it very important for me that the recording itself truly captured the energy of a live performance. What you hear is what we performed in that moment in that room. No re-recordings or autotune was done in the afterwork. Just like for a regular concert, the set list was carefully put together with a selection of songs from all our albums, including a handful of songs from the new album, which we performed for the very first time. On the day of recording, we all stood together in the same room for the first time in over a year. Everyone came focused and well prepared and the energy felt like no time had passed. I hope you will agree!” – Einar Selvik

Wardruna are also sharing the track and virtual live performance video for “Solringen” about which Einar Selvik says; “Solringen is a song originally released on the album Runaljod – Yggdrasil (2013). Even though it quickly became a popular track amongst our listeners, it wasn’t until late 2019 we first got around to performing it live. When taking the song from the studio to the stage, I really felt it needed a slightly different approach, more specifically adapted for the concert format”

Selvik continues; “In earlier tradition the women of the household on a farm had the task of going out into the fields around midsummer and wake up the elves dwelling there with rhymes and songs to encourage them to ensure growth and good crops. These songs and traditions have now mostly passed into oblivion. The initial idea behind “Solringen” is that new songs might wake them once again.”

WATCH ‘SOLRINGEN – FIRST FLIGHT OF THE WHITE RAVEN LIVE VERSION’ BELOW

Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven – further format information:

-2CD & digital formats: Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven – including Kvitravn album plus the audio of Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven stream, mastered for CD and digital. 

-2LP: Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven – including the audio of Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven stream, mastered for vinyl. 

Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven audio track list (2022): 

Synkverv (Turn-sight)

Kvitravn (White Raven)

Skugge (Shadow)

Grá (Grey)

Fylgjutal (Speech of the Fylgja)

Munin (Memory)

Kvit hjort (White Stag)

Viseveiding (Song-hunting)

Ni (Nine)

Vindavlarljod (Song of the wind-bred)

Andvevarljod (Song of the Spirit-weavers)

–

Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven track list for audio capture of the virtual live performance (2022):

Kvitravn

Skugge

Solringen

Bjarkan

Raido

Voluspá

Isa

UruR

Grá

Vindavlarljod

Rotlaust Tre Fell 

Fehu

Helvegen

Wardruna’s UK tour commences in March. About the tour Einar comments “It has been more than two years since we last gave a performance in front of an audience. Needless to say, this long and unwanted hibernation has made us very excited to finally be able to realistically plan our return to the stage.” 

Full list of dates in the UK and Ireland below:

Thursday 17th March: Southbank Centre, London

Friday 18th March: Albert Hall, Manchester

Sunday 20th March: Cambridge Corn Exchange, Cambridge

Monday 21st March: Symphony Hall, Birmingham

Tuesday 22nd March: The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow

Wednesday 23rd March: Vicar Street, Merchants Quay, Ireland

​Plus more live dates can be found here: http://www.wardruna.com/tour-dates/

​

Wardruna have carved a rich, polyphonic and dramatic musical landscape that honours the ancient past without gimmick, whilst simultaneously illuminating meaningful expressions of Norse tradition through intrinsically detailed contemporary composition. 

While nothing is necessarily obvious with Wardruna, the years since 2009’s debut album Runaljod – gap var Ginnunga have seen increasing international success. Runaljod – Yggdrasil came in 2013 and was followed in 2016 by Runaljod – Ragnarok. The latter climbed to the top spot in America on Billboard’s World Music charts, and did so in Canada too. In 2018, the low key, live-in-the-studio Skald was released. For Wardruna’s fourth album, Einar had taken a similar approach to his solo shows with a stripped-back, intimate sound.

The combination of Einar’s deep knowledge – he has lectured in academic settings on the old Norse world and its music – and his hands-on approach attracted the attention of the creators of the History Channel’s TV series Vikings. From its second series, in 2014, Einar came on board as co-composer alongside the show’s main composer Trevor Morris and worked on the programme up to its fifth series, which aired in 2019. He even appeared on-screen in a couple of episodes.

Ever-busy, there was also 2016’s Skuggsjá – A Piece for Mind & Mirror where Einar and Ivar Bjørnson of Enslaved fashioned a chronicle of Norway for the anniversary of its constitution and, the next year, the intense Snake Pit Poetry release, credited as an Einar Selvik solo project.

Einar has contributed music for the official soundtrack of the game franchise Assassin’s Creed Valhalla® alongside the BAFTA Award-winning Danish composer Jesper Kyd (Assassin’s Creed, Ezio Trilogy) and American composer Sarah Schachner (Assassin’s Creed Origins), released worldwide on November 17, 2020 by Lakeshore Records in partnership with Ubisoft, followed by numerous collections of unreleased music and acoustic tracks from Einar Selvik in connection with Assassin’s Creed Valhalla® (also released by Lakeshore Records in partnership with Ubisoft) between November 2020 and December 2021.

Further information here: http://www.wardruna.com/

Wardruna release an awe-inspiring video for the title track from Kvitravn, upcoming on 22nd Jan 2021

Wardruna today share the title track, and pinnacle moment of their upcoming album, Kvitravn (meaning White Raven). A music video produced by Ragnarok Films reveals a powerful narrative centred around this sacred, elusive creature, and namesake of the album.

Dramatic scenery unfolds from a bird’s eye perspective, and enchanting images of this rare animal are captured, as we follow Wardruna founder Einar Selvik and vocalist Lindy Fay-Hella through the wilderness. As the video unfolds, a question arises, is this sighting only good fortune, or is it destiny?

About the song “Kvitravn”, Wardruna founder Einar Selvik states, “I am very excited to finally share this song with you. “Kvitravn” is a song that explores traditions of animal-guides and the symbolism and legends of sacred white animals found in Nordic- and other cultures all over the world. These highly regarded ghostly creatures, whether a raven, snake, bear, moose, reindeer, elephant or lion – are in animist traditions seen as prophetic, divine messengers, and guardians representing renewal, purity and a bridge between worlds.”

Einar Selvik continues, “Being fully aware of how rare it is to come across white ravens, we knew from the start that this would be an ambitious and challenging task to pull off. However, fate seemed to be on our side in this and the “impossible” piece of the puzzle fell into place as if gifted from the divine.“

The video for “Kvitravn” was shot in various locations in Norway and Russia, by Ragnarok Film, the same team responsible for the previous Wardruna video, for stand-alone single “Lyfjaberg”, made during lockdown (this track does not appear on the album).

The full album, Kvitravn, is set for worldwide release on January 22nd, 2021 and can be pre ordered in various formats and bundles at www.wardruna.com

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