2022-12-12 (Through Niflheim to Valhalla Edition Vol. 6)

To Valhalla, motherfuckers! Yes, it is that most magnificent time of year when we embrace the bitter cold Through Niflheim to Valhalla! Volume 6, as you may have no-ticed. What could such an edition possibly contain? Oh, you dearest little uncultured swine, you… This will be Nordic folk & metal, plain & simple. Well, there may be groups and/or songs that venture out of those boundaries, but that’s the overall feel of it. Those of you who’ve been enjoying the newer God of War games should be all over this one.

 

It’s actually kinda funny how every time I go to compile one of these editions, I’m always a bit apprehensive that I’ll need to do some heavy scouring to find quality stuff. Perverts, after 6 editions throughout which I’ve only repeated a handful of tracks, I can promise you that the genres of Nordic folk & metal contain a stunning wealth of quality music. Of course there will always be less memorable or even straight terrible tracks in every genre, but exploring these has proven to be a profound adventure; rich with reward, and with only the minimal risk of time spent doing so instead of doing whatever else.

 

So, you’ll no doubt notice that I’ve included a bunch of new Heilung tracks! If you haven’t heard their new album called Drif, well fuck, you’ve certainly hit play on the right podcast. If you haven’t yet heard me gush over Heilung, I have no idea whose podcast you’ve been listening to, but it certainly wasn’t mine. Just look up Lifa on YouTube sometime, watch some of the clips, and you’ll immediately see several of the reasons why I adore them. By the way, the performance shown in Lifa, that was their very first live performance, as far as I know. Can you imagine having so phenomenal a first live show that a live album and Blu-Ray were released from it? I think not.

 

Also joining the party are two other earlier Maria Franz & Christopher Juul projects, Songleikr & Euzen. I actually played Vinda by Songleikr earlier this year on volume 5, but I think I might have been unaware it was them. Man, I heard of Euzen earlier this year when I watched an interview with Maria done by this vocal coach who runs a channel called The Charismatic Voice, and I loved the interview, but I forgot to check out Euzen. I’m so fuckin’ glad I remembered to check them out now, though. Fuck, every track was like a beautiful dream. I had to stop listening through their albums because I had already included 7 goddamn tracks to this edition. Definitely going to do an all-star edition for Maria and/or Christopher sometime down the line, but as much as I love them, this edition isn’t all about them and their work.

 

This edition actually has a fucking 16-minute track by a prog metal group called Moonsorrow. Shouldn’t be too much to bear considering how fantastic Lorna Shore’s Pain Trilogy is. That’s way more aggressive, and 4 minutes longer. There’s actually another track by a band called Finsterforst that’s nearly 12 1/2 minutes long, too. Gonna need to stretch our attention spans a bit for this edition, perverts. Also, special mention here about the Amon Amarth cover of Aerials. Their version is awesome, and I know it’s a song written by Armenians, but Amon Amarth is Swedish, thus Nordic, and always a welcome addition to these editions. Dzivia is Belarusian, but again, the music fits the vibe well enough. Vibes are never perfect, nor do they ever need to be anymore than anything else in this wildly imperfect world.

 

I’m positive I’ve included plenty of other tracks that aren’t exactly Nordic folk and/or metal, but that fit the theme to my satisfaction. That’s just it, my satisfaction. Ideally, you perverts will be satisfied as well and not be some incorrigibly pedantic dingleberry fuckhead doodoo faces, but I digress. The point is that lots of fucktacularity is soon to reach our earholes on our way to Valhalla. So, why don’t we just fuckin’ yojne, already?!

 

 

01 Ensiferum - For Those About to Fight for Metal (from Two Paths) [00:02:41]

 

02 Heilung - Asja (from Drif) [00:07:56]

 

03 Mors Principium Est - Lost in a Starless Aeon (from Seven) [00:13:05]

 

04 Euzen - The Stage (from Metamorph) [00:18:10]

 

05 Skálmöld - Hel (from Börn Loka) [00:22:02]

 

06 Songleikr - Ravnene (from Godtfolk) [00:27:34]

 

07 Eluveitie - Aidus (from Aidus) [00:30:50]

 

08 Garmarna - Sven i Rosengård (from Förbundet) [00:35:46]

 

09 Kamelot - Forever (from Karma) [00:41:08]

 

10 Myrkur - Ella (from Ella) [00:45:12]

 

11 Amon Amarth - Aerials (from Surtur Rising) [00:49:01]

 

12 Lost In Grey - Varjo (from Under the Surface) [00:52:37]

 

13 Falkenbach - ... Where His Ravens Fly.. (from Tiurida) [00:58:13]

 

14 Hedningarna - Räven (from TRÄ) [01:05:29]

 

15 Powerwolf - Blood for Blood (Faoladh) (feat. Melissa Bonny) (from Missa Cantorem II) [01:10:05]

 

16 Heilung - Anoana (from Drif) [01:13:12]

 

17 Månegarm - Slaget vid Bråvalla (from Fornaldarsagor) [01:18:00]

 

18 Euzen - Vis a Vis (from Metamorph) [01:23:00]

 

19 Sojourner - Relics of the Natural Realm (from Perennial) [01:26:43]

 

20 Songleikr - Mann og mening (from Godtfolk) [01:31:54]

 

21 Finsterforst - Fremd (from Rastlos) [01:35:42]

 

22 IANAI, Client N - Anaia (from Sunir) [01:47:59]

 

23 Eluveitie - Havoc (from Helvetios) [01:54:22]

 

24 Dzivia - Vataha (from Rujnuj) [01:58:25]

 

25 Mors Principium Est - Valley of Sacrifice, Pt. 1 - Re-Recorded 2022 (from Liberate The Unborn Inhumanity) [02:05:27]

 

26 Heilung - Tenet (from Drif) [02:11:32]

 

27 Skálmöld - Að vori (from Með vættum) [02:24:27]

 

28 Euzen - Phobia (from Metamorph) [02:27:31]

 

29 Faanefjell - Tre Tinner Bakom Bruen (from Trollmarsj) [02:31:34]

 

30 Suldusk - The Elm (from Lunar Falls) [02:38:03]

 

31 Zeal & Ardor - Götterdämmerung (from Zeal & Ardor) [02:41:30]

 

32 Faun, Eluveitie - Gwydion (from Pagan) [02:44:31]

 

33 Falkenbach - I Nattens Stilta (from Asa) [02:48:24]

 

34 Heilung - Nikkal (from Drif) [02:54:38]

 

35 Wolfchant - Das Bollwerk (from Bloodwinter) [02:57:39]

 

36 Euzen - Wasted (from Metamorph) [03:03:44]

 

37 Amon Amarth - Oden Owns You All (from The Great Heathen Army) [03:07:01]

 

38 Heilung - Urbani (from Drif) [03:11:16]

 

39 Týr - Into the Sky (from Valkyrja) [03:14:04]

 

40 Euzen - The Great Escape (from Sequel) [03:16:55]

 

41 Eluveitie - Antvmnos (from Evocation II - Pantheon) [03:21:47]

 

42 Sylvaine - L'appel Du Vide (from Atoms Aligned, Coming Undone) [03:25:22]

 

43 King of Asgard - Brethren of the North (from Fi’mbulvntr) [03:32:57]

 

44 Euzen - Me and My (from Metamorph) [03:37:38]

 

45 Moonsorrow - Huuto (from Varjoina kuljemme kuolleiden maassa) [03:42:53]

 

46 Mors Principium Est - ...And Death Said Live (from ...And Death Said Live) [03:58:49]

 

47 Euzen - You're On (from Sequel) [04:00:46]