RELEASES

Lifa Iotungard is the live album that originally spawned after Futha, but was only released after Drif. This live performance was filmed and recorded at Red Rocks Amphitheater 2021 in a time where the world stood still because of a pandemic. The birth of this album was only possible because of a short moment where people were allowed to gather together and experience live music again for the first time after a long period of social distancing.

Drif means “gathering”. A throng of people, a horde, a crowd, a pack. In symbiosis with the album title, Drif consists of a flock, a collection, a gathering, a collage of songs, that much like little flames were seeking towards each other, to join, to bond, to create, and be greater together. This album has very clearly dictated its own path. Our attempts to tame it was repeatedly fruitless and once we came to this realization, the creative flow surged forward with immense force. So much so that sometimes it felt like the songs wrote themselves. All the songs on Drif have their own stories. They each have their place and sense of belonging, with inspiration not only from Northern Europe, but from the ancient great civilisations.”

Ofnir was a very masculine album. To create it we took a big part of the lyrics from preserved rune inscriptions on weapons and armour. Futha is the counterpart, the balance point, the feminine side. Here the lyrics originate from for example Old Icelandic poetry, in which the holy women chant magic spells and offer their blessings. Hence, female voices are more prominent on Futha.
The great healing power of the female wild strength is evoked in Futha. Those who have been present at a birth or seen a lioness hunting, know the spirit. The spirit of the ”wilde Weiber” (German), the wild wise women. Futha endeavours to connect to a time before the female was degraded to a birth-machine and carrier of eternal inherited guilt. Futha was three years in the making and was finished for production and print at midwinter, the very darkest day of the solar year, the 21st in the 12th month at 21:00.

"LIFA" is the live rendition of "Ofnir," capturing the energy and magic of their first live performance at Castlefest 2017. This viral success led to performances at festivals like Midgardsblot and eventually a record deal with the French/Dutch metal label Seasons of Mist, cementing Heilung’s place in the Nordic folk genre.

Heilung’s first album, "Ofnir," emerged from recording ancient poetry and song, evolving into a full-length album released in 2015. Uploaded to Bandcamp and YouTube, it quickly gained traction within the Nordic folk scene.