#15- Top of 2013

Wardruna - Runaljod-Yggdrasil (Indie Recordings)

Moving up the top, the next entry is a folk/ ambient project that, although it doesn't qualify as metal or rock, is as epic as  (if not even more epic) any other viking metal album and will travel the listener back to the viking age!! Wardruna is a band that at the time of the album release consisted of male vocalist Gaahl (known as the vocalist of black metal band, Gorgoroth), female vocalist Lindy Fay Hella and multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Einar Kvitrafn Selvik (including instruments such as the Kraviklyra, the tagelharpe, mouth harps, and wind instruments like the goat horn)! According to the Norse mythology, “Yggdrasil” refers to the sacred world tree, an ash standing at the centre of the cosmos holding all nine worlds together! The lack of english lyrics usually counts as a negative aspect but in this case, the native language blends perfectly with the vibe of the music and the feeling that is evoked to the listener, making you feel that you really are listening to the music of the vikings. Of course it was only natural that Selvik is also responsible for the hypnotic music that is featured in the TV series Vikings for US History Channel!This album is the second part of a trilogy that was based on 24 ancient Scandinavian runes known as the elder futhark, and we are impatiently waiting for the third chapter that will be entitled ‘Ragnarok’, referring to the final destiny of the gods!




93/100

Below are official audio samples from the album!