Folk & World
Wardruna have released “Helvegen II”, a new version of “Helvegen”, the song the Norwegian group recorded in 2012 and released the following year on “Runaljod – Yggdrasil”. It comes with a film shot in Iceland and directed by longtime collaborator Tuukka Koski, in which Finnish dancer Sofia Ruija plays the deceased, with Krummi the raven witnessing the crossing.
“For some years now, we have been quietly working on a new recorded version of Helvegen,” the band write on their website. The song, they explain, has found its way into funerals and memorials, weddings and births, and has been sung in other languages far beyond Scandinavia: “At some point, we realized that the song no longer existed only as the version we recorded in 2012.”
It isn’t the first time they’ve gone back to it. There’s a skaldic version on “Skald” (2018) and a live one on “Kvitravn – First Flight of the White Raven” (2022). Einar Selvik formed Wardruna in 2003 with Gaahl and Lindy-Fay Hella; their latest studio album, the sixth, is “Birna”.
The 12-inch vinyl has “Helvegen II” on side A and the skaldic version on side B. It’s sold only through the band’s online shop, can be pre-ordered until 30 November, and only the copies reserved will be pressed. It’s out in February 2027.
Text by Alba Puiggròs