ALBUM REVIEW: Huldufólk – Skáld
Brought into common knowledge in Snorri Sturluson’s Prose Edda, the huldufólk (hidden-ones/hidden-people) of Icelandic and Faroese mythology, and to a wider extent Norse mythology, are enchanting and supernatural beings. Also called Elves, they are similar to us mere mortals but can make themselves invisible at will. Existing in nature, these magical folk are held in high regard, as an old Icelandic belief warns against throwing stones should you hurt the hidden ones. Now, French-Nordic collective SKÁLD bring their story to life, alongside a collection of tales from Scandinavia’s rich mythology. With hypnotic rhythms and ethereal vocals that transport you back to the early Medieval Period with a pinch of fantasy thrown in, these modern day skálds offer a beautifully vivid escape into the mists of time.
In comparison to SKÁLD’s earlier albums – 2019’s Viking Chant and 2020’s Vikings Memories – Huldufólk leans significantly more into the dark and mystical side of the band’s sound. With this in mind, and much like their contemporaries in the Nordic folk realm, SKÁLD offer up a listening experience, a great adventure into a world inspired by medievalism and fantasy. With hypnotic rhythms SKÁLD work their captivating seiðr spells on the ancient and primal parts of your consciousness. They enrapture your imagination as you see yourself in a great hall under the green and purple luminescent glow of the Aurora Borealis, being entertained by those skálds that have gone before with riveting tales of Thor’s adventures to Joutunheim and the enigmatic goings on of the huldufólk.
The majority of the album’s themes venture around three parts of the Prose Edda; the Gylfaginning (primarily dealing with the creation and destruction of the world of the Æsir) and the Skáldskapármal (one of Loki’s mischievous schemes) and more. SKÁLD have transformed these long passed down stories into guttural, contemporary songs that stir your ancient heart. Huldufólk’s captivating sound makes you long to venture out into nature, getting lost in forests and taking in the vastness of the Great North. With only a few beats of a drum alongside an enchanting vocal melody, even the most uninteresting piece of earth or cluster of rocks takes on magical properties.
With a plethora of perfectly mixed traditional instruments alongside powerful drums and layered chanting, it is difficult not to get completely swept up in the album’s folk elegance. SKÁLD have brought in a vast array of exceptional musical talent (too many to name here) to achieve their vision. The often familiar tones of the moraharpa, lyre, nyckelharpa and talharpa can be heard through the wonderfully arranged album. That being said, tracks 1-10 fully immerse you in the world that SKÁLD have created. This immersion breaks with tracks 11 and 12, where the viking style covers of RAMMSTEIN’s Du Hast and THE CURE‘s A Forest certainly take you by surprise. While you can respect the quality and arrangement of the covers, they feel very out of place and jarring alongside the rest of the album, especially as the latter is sung in English.
Huldufólk opens up with Troll Kalla Mik, a song that sounds like it came from the depths of Ginnungagap itself. Deep and enchanting, it sets the tone for the album, with a steady rhythm to row your drakar to. This is followed by the thunderous drums of Ljósálfur; as if they are hammering metal on an anvil they pound right through your chest before a plethora of woven vocals and instrumental melodies fill the cavernous space made by the drums. Mánin Líður is a softer song that taps into the more ethereal side of Norse mythology, where forests full of magic and wonder glisten and glimmer by day and glow effervescently by night. Ríðum, Ríðum has a body-moving groove at its heart, as if you were dancing around a fire celebrating Walpurgisnacht.
Hinn Mikli Dreki is a solemn song; haunting melodies penetrate your soul as if you are listening to the laments of those left behind in Midgard as those who fell in battle are taken to the halls of Asgard by the valkyries. Då Månen Sken expands on the style of Hinn Mikli Dreki, bringing in evolving stringed melodies to the back drop of a steady beat. Elverhøy follows a similar formula to Ríðum, Ríðum before fading into SKÁLD’s version of the famous Germanic folk song Her Mannelig. Rauður Loginn Brann and closing epilogue track Trollslaget ritualistically finish the album, as if our time in between the verses of the skálds was finished, a fitting end to a spritely retelling of these ancient stories.
SKÁLD have consistently captivated their audience with their intricate blend of evocative storytelling, dense atmospherics and illustrious layers of melody. Huldufólk is no different in that regard, but it successfully breathes new life into these ancient stories, allowing a whole new generation to explore the vast, vivid and captivating world of Norse mythology.
Rating: 8/10
Huldufólk is set for release on January 20th via Decca/Universal Music.
Like SKÁLD on Facebook.