Description

Gold leaf embossed black box with a 28 page booklet, cassette and a record label sticker. Limited 250 copies

The idea of Wardruna began to take shape in 2002 as a project where founder and main man Einar Kvitrafn Selvik (Jotunspor, Gorgoroth, Sahg etc.) could work with a musical expression and instrumentation very different from what his involvements in various metal bands would allow. It took the band nearly six years to get their debut album, Runaljod -Gap Var Ginnunga, out in 2009. The Runaljod story however would continue and become a trilogy, ending with the third album Runaljod – Ragnarok in 2016. The Runaljod trilogy features some highly visual music that is hard to place into any specific genre, and there isn’t really much to compare it with either. The style can perhaps be described as a curious blend of folk, world and ambient music, but without being limited by the sometimes restricted scope of these genres. The music of Wardruna was featured in a mini-documentary about Gaahl entitled True Norwegian Black Metal. It was also featured in the History Channel television series Vikings. Gaahl left the band in 2015 meaning that the third album is based around the duo of Lindy-Fay Hella and Kvitrafn (Einar Selvik). Wardruna has a passion for authentic instruments and its traditional Norwegian music and their third album, Runaljod – Ragnarok, boasts an even bigger sound, to the point where it could be a film score. It’s a more textured, laboured release, that focuses on slow, building layers of instrumentation. This is not a solitary musician sat by the fire, this is what sounds like an entire orchestra; music conjuring images of open spaces, vast forests, the majesty of the wilderness. There is a professionalism to Wardruna lacking in the folk and ambient projects of many metal artists. This comes from a deep study of traditional instruments and vocal techniques combined with very modern production values and modern expectations. And Wardruna go to great lengths to respect their source material and use it as a means to tell a story. They aim at music of the past, shedding the present whilst using its tools and techniques. Respect.

Track list:
1. Tyr
2. UruR
3. Isa
4. MannaR – Drivande
5. MannaR – Liv
6. Raido
7. Pertho
8. Odal
9. Wunjo
10. Runaljod