ALBUM REVIEW: Skald – Wardruna

WARDRUNA are a group that have mesmerised listeners since their debut, Runaljod – Gap Var Ginnunga. They have spent years crafting a unique style using old Nordic instruments and using the Old Norse and Proto-Norse language, alongside their native Norwegian to give a new approach to a history that we can still learn from.

Now, the group move forward from their Runaljod trilogy with Skald. The name and meaning of the album title links in with the sounds that WARDRUNA have created elegantly. Skald was a term used for a poet who recited at the courts of Scandinavia and Iceland during the viking ages, and this album is true, honourable poetry.

There are songs that are already greatly loved by fans of WARDRUNA on Skald, Helvegen and Fehu take to the spotlight once again, but this time in Skaldic form. The entire acoustic approach that the group have taken on strips bare, and even if you aren’t up to speed with the meaning of each piece that Einar Selvik sings, the raw emotion is enough.

Selvik‘s vocals are definitely of prominence on Skald. The use of instrumentation build up a rich, elegant soundscape, but the attention is consistently on this voice of power. Selvik has always had a voice that you focus on when listening to any of his projects, Skald is another story entirely. He creates the dynamics, the tempo, the mood, he shapes each moment of each song into whatever he wants it to be. He holds the tale in his hands and brings it to life with intensity.

There is one moment on Skald where Selvik‘s vocals shy just a little and hover behind the use of instrumentation. Gravbakkjen holds a gentle touch to it, the way he plays his Kravik-lyre takes centre stage, and despite the solemn feeling to the sound it is somewhat uplifting. How it holds itself together in such a short period of time is done with true grace.

Voluspá (Skaldic version), Ormagardskvedi and Ein Sat Hon Uti are three of the strongest points on Skald. You are transported into your inner self, when listening to those three, everything becomes more real. Sonatorrek is another prime example, at almost 16-minutes long and Selvik relying entirely on his vocals, it is something so special. To those who are new to WARDRUNA this might go under-appreciated, but regardless of the interpretation you get from it, in some way you will keep returning and form a connection. This piece is essentially something that feels more spiritual than anything else, it forms a unique bond between artist and art.

When WARDRUNA announced the release of Skald there were no secrets on it being just Einar Selvik, and it was going to be stripped back. Any presumptions that this album is going to be like the Runaljod trilogy should be left behind, because it is nowhere near. The beauty, the intensity and the passion of where this originated is all the same, but Skald is on another level. It is rich in emotion, and it serves as a stunning soundtrack to any part of life. It doesn’t bring history back to life, it remembers it with respect and crafts something new from it. This is poetry.

Rating: 9/10

Skald is out now  via By Norse.

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