Released
1998
Label
Misanthropy
Reviewed by
Michael C. Lund
Contact
PO Box 9
Hadleigh
Suffolk IP7 5AU
England
Visit
Last Edit/Update
20 juli, 1998
Hagalaz' Runedance
THE WINDS THAT SANG
OF MIDGARD'S FATE
Track Listing
1. When The Trees Were Silenced
2. Behold The Passionate Ways Of Nature
3. The Home That I Will Never See
4. The Oath He Swore One Wintersday
5. Seidr
6. Das Fest Der Wintersonne (Ein Weihnachtslied)
7. A Tale Of Fate (Folksvang Awaits)
8. When The Falcon Flies
9. Serenade Of The Last Wolf
10. Mother Of Times
Rooted in the Northern/Germanic Pagan tradition, Hagalaz' Runedance is
the new musical project of Andrea Haugen, who previously constituted one half of
the duo Aghast. With Hagalaz' Runedance, Andrea
creates exceedingly beautiful music inspired by traditional folk songs and shamanic chants
that revolve around the destruction of nature and ancient human values by Christianity and
Western civilization in general. The instrumentation predominantly consists of various
kinds of acoustic percussions and string instruments, underscored on many of the songs by
synth atmospheres and intense human chanting, with the natural focal point of the
compositions being Andrea's voice, reaching across time, and into the past, like
the hand of a mythical presence.
The Winds That Sang Of Midgard's
Fate is the first full-length release from Hagalaz' Runedance, and it
is a very accomplished album with great musical and thematic unity. "When The Trees
Were Silenced" appropriately opens the CD with thunderous drums and the chanting of
deep male voices -- a vivid depiction in sound of the Ragnarok. Performed in a hard and
indignant tone of voice, Andrea's lyrics are simultaneously an elegiac account of
the dying of all that she holds dear in the world, and a cry to resurrect the old beliefs
and values, and return to a state of greater harmony with nature.
The next two songs -- "Behold
The Passionate Ways Of Nature" and "The Home That I Will Never See" -- are
less apocalyptic, and feature more overtly traditional arrangements of string instruments
and woodwinds. Both songs further expand on the themes of "When The Trees Were
Silenced," with "Behold The Passionate Ways Of Nature" paying homage to Mother
Nature; and, "The Home That I Will Never See" being a lament for the
ancient past, and a statement on Andrea's part that she was born a thousand years
to late.
"The Oath He Swore One
Wintersday," "Das Fest Der Wintersonne" and "A Tale Of Fate" all
take their departure in ancient folklore and historical events. As the title implies,
"A Tale Of Fate" is a tragic "love song" propelled by the narrative of
a young woman's fidelity towards her mate. The song is not only another appraisal of the
ancient Nordic culture, it also establishes Andrea's belief in the immortality of
love, and faith in the afterlife. "The Oath He Swore One Wintersday" is in
somewhat similar vein, although it is less a narrative than a battle cry against the
Christian culture, which both historically and metaphorically did much to destroy the
Pagan way of life.
Seidr was a Northern magic
practiced mainly by women, and involved entering a trance; the song here named after this
ancient practice is one of the most powerful on the album. Against a backdrop of ritual
percussions, birds' cries and the sound of wind, Andrea leads a choir of chanting
voices. The overall effect is mesmerizing, and could easily be imagined as trance inducing
had it continued for another half an hour. Elements of seidr return on "When
The Falcon Flies," which concerns the actual experience of entering such a trance,
and traveling with a totem animal (in this case the falcon) across time and space.
"Serenade Of The Last
Wolf" is a ballad in the honor of the wolf, which in this context could be seen as a
symbol of nature as a whole. Andrea's melancholy vocals are accompanied merely by
a string instrument, subtle atmospheres and a male voice supporting her in the chorus
segments. The last piece is likewise a lament, in this case for the passing of life on
earth in general it seems. "Mother Of Times," with its expansive layers of slow
chanting and synth thematics, is a very strong and beautiful end to the album, and one
that is strangely cathartic. It is almost as if with the final song, Hagalaz'
Runedance has not only presented a vision of the dying world, but also the wisdom
to remedy the ills, and thus The Winds That Sang Of Midgard's Fate can end with a
sense of resolution and peace.
The Winds That Sang Of Midgard's
Fate has been released by Misanthropy Records' side label -- Elfenblut,
which also released the initial Hagalaz' Runedance 7" When The
Trees Were Silenced, back in November 1996.
