Track Listing
1. The dawning 2. Seeker divine 3. Volven 4. Alva 5. Solstice past 6. On wings of rapture 7. Wake skadi 8. Dreaming wild white horses 9. Your world in my eyes 10. On wings of rapture (Vision Of skuld) Year: 2000 Label: Well of Urd - Official Site |
Hagalaz' Runedance - 'Volven' - By C. Diamantis
After the split of her previous band, Aghast, Andrea �Nebel� Haugen decided to form another one in order to have the means of expressing her ideas and artistic impulses. This lead to the forming of Hagalaz' Runedance who have released, up to now, three albums. �Volven� is their second album and the band, or rather Andrea, continues on the path that has been set from its beginning. In this album we can find ten acoustic, neo-folk songs of a very good quality that will attract all those who like folk music. Besides Andrea, who is responsible for the vocals, synths and some of the percussion, we can find many other talented musicians, among whom the only well known to those who listen to metal is Trym, the drummer of Emperor. It will be tiresome to make an account of all the instruments used in the album, since most of them are traditional and some of them I didn�t know existed before listening to this record. This diversity produces a very good result since the sounds in the album blend together perfectly. The styles of songs in the album vary from epic to slow and emotional ballads but they all express the same respect and admiration for the folklore, the nature and the traditions. Andrea�s voice is not exactly perfect but what she lacks in technique she more than makes up with her passion for what she does. Since she has written all the lyrics herself, the words she sings express her wholly and she manages to make some excellent performances, like in �Your World In My Eyes� where her singing is almost heartbreaking. All the other musicians complete their tasks perfectly and give Andrea the opportunity to make her vision real. The surprise of the album comes with the last song, the remix of �On Wings Of Rapture� by Thorbjorn Akkerhaugen. There the acoustic folk of the past meet the electronic beats of the future and the result shows that the band respects the past but isn�t totally indifferent to the future and the evolution of music. A very interesting attempt. The lyrics of the album stay true to its pagan feeling and are mostly about nature, ancient myths and traditions. The characteristic that unites them into a more or less similar lyrical background is that they have woman�s role in the ancient pagan society as their central theme. Fortunately, for those of us who aren�t familiar with the northern heritage, there is a part in the booklet where some of the more obscure meanings are explained. This helps in understanding the lyrics and feel closer to the atmosphere of the album. �Volven� is an album that I think will appeal to a lot of people since it�s very melodic and emotional and shows us yet another aspect of the folk music of Northern Europe. It�s very interesting work and one that deserves the respect of all music lovers. Metal Obsessive Grade: 80% |