By Bona Pjarren
Urferd represents a new musical chapter and solo project for Daniel Beckman of Twilight Force and Ages fame. ‘Resan’, his first album under the Urferd banner, is in the style of dark atmospheric folk music and, in his own words, “takes the listener on a journey through gloomy old Nordic forests, where strife and hardship follows in our steps, yet where beauty and vastness of the solemn Nordic landscape persist and permeates”.
The first track is entitled ‘Gryning’ which means ‘Dawn’ and is indeed highly evocative of the sun slowly climbing above the horizon. With washes of strings and brass it is given the full orchestral treatment. Okay, so it might be typical of this type of musical representation but it really works and led me in nicely to the rest of the album.
‘Avfärd (Departure)’ certainly brings the folk elements to the fore. I could imagine. listening to it, that I was just embarking on board the deck of a Viking long ship on an intrepid adventure. The drone of the cello is ever present and the sonorous male vocal harmonized chants give it a filmscape quality. ‘Strövtåg (Perambulation) has a gentle lilting, even contemplative feel to it. It evokes the gentle passage of time as one strolls through an ancient unknown forest building with its intensity with each discovered experience.
‘Hymn’ is next up: guess what that translates as? It enters with drama and strong rhythms from the frame drums. The brass and horn sections add to the soaring ethereal feel of the track as it marches ever skywards. Clever vocal arrangements really accentuate the overall effect. ‘Envig’ can translate as “trial by combat” or “judicial duel”. It does indeed have a certain militaristic feel in its writing style, with horns blasting and frame drums pounding. With its strong folk dance elements it is evocative of two brave warriors circling each other as they engage in mortal combat.
By ‘Vaka (Vigil)’, I am beginning to ponder if some of this albums depicts a Wapentake (weapon take) or old Norse trial. The intro is very reminiscent of warriors clashing their spears on their shields to show their ascent to a particular judgement. Dark male harmonized vocals give a gravity to the proceedings while harp and violin style strings help lift the song. There seem to be quite a few traditional instruments used on this album as a whole, which lend a certain authenticity.
‘Hemfärd’ means “homecoming”. The deep drone of the horn heralds the beginning of this track. A lone female vocal entwines with intricate strings building into the main body of the song’s more dance like theme. It has an epic feel to it full of the joys of returning home. ‘Dvala’, or “hibernation”, is the last track of the album, which leads me to believe that the main body of the album takes place in the summer months. In ancient Norse times there were only two seasons, summer and winter. Dvala is dark and contemplative relying more heavily on vocals and no doubt telling the tales of the year in the long house. It feels like the perfect end to this album with almost a dark nursery rhyme feel to its execution.
I have to say I am very impressed with this work. It is highly evocative of its subject material and really takes you on the journey of our ancestors. Beautiful harmonies and well structured orchestral and folk elements give a dark but very accessible feel to each of the tracks. If you like Heilung or Wardruna, or even Loreena McKennitt, then I urge you to give this a try. I think you will love it.
- ‘Resan’ is released on 15 April. You can get your copy HERE.