“Flokefull veg frå fyrndetid.”
Have you ever pictured yourself walking through the mountains of Norway? Sailing down fjords in longships, watching mist roll over the hillsides? Getting lost in the woods of Scandinavia and forging an alliance with nature? Sharpening your axe before the next big battle? No? Well, Wardruna clearly have, and they’re here to take us along for the ride.
Wardruna clearly want to transport us into Ye Olde Norselands, and have gone to incredible lengths to do so. The instrumentation on their albums is authentic enough to impress this naïve reviewer: lyres, horns, willow-bark flute, vocals aplenty, all sorts of percussion. The band also dress the part. The music is atmospheric, ominous and largely rhythmic. While it might like to think of itself as Ye Olde Nordic folk music, the truth is it probably belongs in the “ritual ambient” category. Compositionally, I expect it owes more to The Cure than any genuinely authentic Nordic medieval folk music.
So, while I probably don’t take their music as seriously as they might like, it’s undeniable that Wardruna are good fun. The music is accessible, engaging, yet escapist and distinctive. They certainly scratch an itch and enjoy a strong, well-deserved following at the intersections from the metal, ambient, post-industrial and atmospheric folk crowds.
Where are Wardruna taking us this time? Birna is about The Bear. A she-bear, no less. A guardian of the forest. The band are taking us away from civilization and deep into the woods to re-acquaint us with nature. The result is an album that is noticeably less energetic than previous outings. The rhythms are still there, the layered vocals are still there, but the volume is generally lower. Instruments are given more space to breathe. On many tracks, it is the crisp, plucking of a lyre that takes centre stage over a gently simmering background of ambience. The lyre (unless I am mistaken – and I may well be – a Kravik-lyre) makes a beautiful sound. Each note is given the space to reverberate out. The lyre arrangements are very simple and better for it.
There are a few tracks here, like “Hertan”, “Himinndotter“ and “Skuggehestan”, that will feel very familiar to Wardruna fans. These tracks have that “Vikings off to battle” vibe to them – “Skuggehestan” is especially bouncy and fun. Other tracks, like “Tretale”, are quieter, but build up their tension in a very familiar way. The remaining tracks, while still feeling like Wardruna, are on the whole much more subdued. For me, the highlight of this album was the centrepiece “Dvaledraumar” and the following track “Jord til Ljos”. “Dvaledraumar” is 15 minutes of stripped-back, meditative atmospherics. Layers of percussion, lyre and vocals are gradually added and subtracted from the proceedings. “Jord til Ljos” starts very gently but tastefully builds up to a dramatic, but not overbearing, crescendo.
I felt there was an obvious weak point on the album. “Hibjørnen” is an “unplugged” song, just lyre and vocals, doing away with the choirs, reverb, percussion and ambience found on the rest of the album. This track reminded me of their 2018 album, Skald, which was entirely made up of tracks produced in this manner, and an album that I just couldn’t stomach. To me, “Hibjørnen” is a reminder that, at their core, Wardruna’s strength is as a ritual ambient band, not as a folk outfit. I have always felt that the band struggle to write engaging folk songs and unfortunately “Hibjørnen” hasn’t changed my mind.
I’m always a little nervous when I’m asked to review an album by a band that has been going for over twenty years. How many tricks does a band have in the bag without undergoing some massive reinvention? On Birna, Wardruna still sound like quintessential Wardruna, but the band are leaning into their strengths and trying something different. This is their most atmospheric album since their debut. Wardruna are known for their incredibly consistent output, and Birna only enhances that reputation.
8/10
Birna releases on January 24 via Sony Music and By Norse Music and can be pre-ordered here.