Wardruna are surely one of the bands that have been noticed in the nordic folk scene. This name is certainly familiar for the fans of the genre; others happened to hear it, maybe because some tracks of Wardruna have been used for “Vikings” TV series.
By referring to the previous article, we provide you with an example of a nordic folk project created by black metal musicians; just to help you understand the expressive potential of some of them… we will therefore talk to you about various circumstances and aspects to explore this interesting and successful folk music scene.

Wardruna are founded in 2003, by Einar Selvik, known as “Kvitrafn”, who, at that time, was the drummer of Gorgoroth, a quite important Norwegian black metal band.
Kvitrafn dedicated himself of creating Wardruna while playing with Gorgoroth (from 2000 till 2004) aiming to bring to life a project that reflects his deep connection to Viking spirituality.
He is a gifted multi-instrumentalist with great skills and in addition, he is refined in his sound research. He plays various percussion instruments beside drums, they are typical Nordic traditional instruments like Tagelharpa (a kind of harp played with the bow), Kravik Lyre and different wind instruments.
Kvitrafn wanted Kristian Eivind Espedal next to him, better known as “Gaahl”, he was the iconic and charismatic Gorgoroth’ singer and at last the remarkable Lindy-Fay Hella, not very popular till 2003 when her voice became one of the most famous in the folk scene thanks to Wardruna; remarkable even with her performances playing flute.

Their first album, “Runaljod - Gap Var Ginnunga”, was released in 2009, and is part of a trilogy dedicated to the runic alphabet. For us this is Wardruna’s greatest masterpiece, an intriguing work consisting of twelve tracks that captivated us completely.
The folk music of Scandinavian lands dates back to ancient times; it has always been intertwined with many traditions passed down over the centuries reaching significant development in the nineteenth century. With the release of their first album, Wardruna started a new chapter in the nordic folk world by blending ancient Viking culture with modern reality, skilfully mixing traditional and contemporary sounds, becoming in a short time a band of great inspiration for many other musicians of this genre.

The first track is called “Ár Var Alda”, it lasts a little over two minutes, instantly drawing the listener into the right mood. The next one, named “Hagall”, makes you think of a ritual before a battle… the album features a recreated thunderstorm, accompanied by natural sounds like water, wind, and fire, which appear repeatedly throughout; all these effects perfectly blend with the music, creating a seamless connection to the cold Northern lands.
“Hagall” is followed by “Bjarkan”, a great track where you can hear the enchanting voice of Lindy-Fay Hella.
“Heimta Thurs” and “Laukr” are worth to be cited; the last one is a perfect Viking moan, which evokes the long-gone, glorious days.
Almost all the songs flow into one another, seamlessly connected in a sonic journey that delves into deep dimensions through the remarkable and beautiful “Løyndomsriss”; we invite you to listen to it to understand what we mean. It is a gloomy track, which leaves you breathless… but no words can really explain the eerie beauty Kvitrafn has composed.

We advise “Runaljod - Gap Var Ginnunga” to you, give it the attention it deserves and you will understand why we consider it a masterpiece. In the next article, we will write more about Wardruna… come back in our blog to read the second part dedicated to them.