By Jonny Bakes
Today I had an album appear in front of me that claimed to be from the world’s first one-woman folk metal band, and my first thought was that it surely cannot be true. But then I put a little more thought into it and realized that I certainly can’t name any others, so perhaps that statement is true! Well, it turns out that this particular project has been going on for the best part of two decades but has somehow managed to fly below my radar to date. So, fortunately for Hildr Valkyrie, her 2017 sophomore album ‘Revealing The Heathen Sun’ is being given a second lease of life with its official worldwide release. Initially this album was released solely upon the population of Russia which, while a massive country, doesn’t quite get the exposure you might want! Particularly for a one-woman Nordic-themed folk metal project from Greece, which is quite the combination but something that has certainly grabbed my attention.
You may recognize Hildr’s name from the folk metal group Folkearth, the collection of artists from multiple folk metal bands across Europe; although I’ll admit that I’ve not heard of any of those bands… and folk metal is certainly my bag! So I’m certainly delving into the realms of the unknown a little bit, which could be good because it means that I have no expectations of preconceptions, but then it also means it has to do a lot to grab my attention.
You tend to get two flavours of folk metal, there’s the kind that’s heavily steeped in folklore and mythology and then there’s the kind that’s pretty much entirely focused on boozing (which is probably my favourite kind). ‘Revealing the Heathen Sun’ certainly sits in the former camp where it intertwines nordic folk themes with traditional instruments and chanting sounds. There’s quite a lot going on here though, at times there will be atmospheric sounding tracks with shaman-like chanting accompanied by simple folk instruments but then at other times it takes a real heavy tone and introduces blast beats and other nuances from the heavier shades of metal.
‘The Rune’s Song’ is one of the heavier tracks on this album, although the introduction doesn’t give that away. It starts with an almost jovial rhythm with muted darker undertones that complement the chanting vocals that sounds like it could be emanating from a shamans hut. But then things get a little more sinister with Hildr’s spoken word sections that resemble a druid addressing a congregation of followers. Each time, these are followed by a burst of musical heaviness consisting of blast beats and shredding in one instance and then a banging guitar solo in the other. It’s this change of pace that earns ‘The Rune’s Song’ the title of being my favourite track on this album.
Overall, it’s great that we’re ‘Revealing The Heathen Sun’ once again, as it deserves a shot at being released upon the world to garner some attention. For me, it was a pretty interesting listen, and I can safely say that I enjoyed it while I was listening but it didn’t quite do enough to embed itself in my memory and earn a place among my folk metal collection. I’d say that this is likely to appeal to fans of Wardruna, Eluveitie and Leaves Eyes (among others) and is worth checking out. Considering that this one-woman project though, the level of musical talent on display here is impressive and I think that alone should be enough to encourage you to at least give it a try.
- ‘Revealing The Heathen Sun’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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