Nordic collective Heilung don’t play shows; rather, they perform rituals. At the center of Heilung are vocalists Kai Uwe Faust, Maria Franz, and producer Christopher Juul. Everything onstage at Heilung rituals, which are now performed all over the world, is true to history. The costumes, weapons, and instruments are modeled on what would have been available during the Iron Age. Heilung’s songs are in various languages, including Old Norse, Icelandic, Old High German, along with some English. Song lyrics contain poetry and original texts from rune stones and preserved weapons, amulets, and other artifacts.
Heilung’s audiences join the collective in a tribal ceremony that celebrates ancestral cultures and heritage. I witnessed a ritual for the first time at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, DC in April 2024. I can attest to the jaw dropping execution of the ritual. Live, it’s an amazing production; one that forces one to throw out all expectations of what it means to be at a “metal show.” Instead, Heilung describes themselves as “amplified history.”
The collective’s first North American tour sold out in 72 hours. Upon returning to the United States in 2021, they were greeted by another sold-out crowd, this time at the historic Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Morrison, Colorado. This performance was released on vinyl, CD, and Blu-Ray by Season of Mist on August 9, 2024.
“Remember, we are all brothers. All people, beasts, tree and stone and wind, we all descend from the one great being that was always there, before people lived and named it, before the first seed sprouted.”
All Heilung rituals begin with an opening ceremony, a spoken word reminder of the connections between humans and nature. Once established, this mission statement sets the tone and expectations for the rest of the ritual. At Red Rocks, this is followed by the tribal drumming of “In Maidjan.” In total, it is an 83-minute-long ritual over 11 tracks. It closes with the pagan rave of “Hamrer Hippyer.”
The question in examining a live album like this, from a collective whose presentation and performance relies so heavily on visuals, is whether the sound and music can stand on its own. Is the audio “enough” to provide the listener with the essence of a Heilung ritual? Does the instrumentation and singing provide the listener with an experience of its own? The answers to both questions here are a resounding yes.
The recording itself is stupendous. The expansive sound captures everything from the primitive instrumentation to the guttural throat singing, to the electronic backing beats. The cheering echoes of the crowd bouncing off the walls of the world-famous Red Rocks venue near Denver, Colorado can be heard, but they are more subtle, and never overwhelm the performance.
It’s a high-quality recording, and one that, if you close your eyes and concentrate, will make you feel like you’re in the Colorado audience. If you’ve been lucky enough to attend a ritual, you can envision the bare-chested warriors on stage, the elements of nature at the corners, and the costumed singers kissed with light. If you haven’t, you might find yourself dreaming of green fields, the open sea, and the forest. Either way, it’s a win. Tip of the hat to the sound engineers involved in this recording. Simply put, this sounds perfect and is best enjoyed with headphones.
Yes, to fully experience Heilung, attendance at a ritual is imperative. However, this live album is a testament to the collective’s talent and ability to weave together songs that honor the ancient and incorporate the modern when necessary. With the visual elements of the performance stripped away, the listener can hear the layers and elements of each track without distraction.
“Our ancestral Nordic civilizations did not just pop up, exist and disappear in isolation”, says Faust. “With singing these primordial songs we want to give tribute to these cultures, reconnect to the beginnings and remember that we all, from East to West, from past to present, are connected through the exchange of ideas and inspiring each other.”
In German, “heilung” means “healing.” As the collective puts it, the goal is for the listener to be put at ease after a musical journey. That goal is achieved with this live album; with each listen, one will find something new.
