Scott's Spotlight #35-- Heilung

 Originally posted to Facebook on May 29, 2025.

Link to post:

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Welcome to Scott’s Spotlight (#scottsspotlight) issue #35. For more information about this series, please click here:

https://www.facebook.com/share/Gc2VkwHQWGLdeaDd/?mibextid=oFDknk

Today, I’ll be looking into a very unique band that contains 3 (official, full-time) members from 3 different European countries: Denmark, Norway and Germany. The band is Heilung, which means “healing” in German. They were founded in 2014 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Initially, the band consisted of only 2 of those members: vocalist Kai Uwe Faust (a German man working in Copenhagen as a tattoo artist), and Danish producer Christopher Juul, who has owned a recording studio there called Lava since 2003. Juuil was a fan of Faust’s Old Norse tattoo designs, so Faust offered up a deal whereby he would exchange free tattoos for recording time, which Juul accepted. By 2015, Juul’s longtime partner, Norwegian, Maria Franz, also joined the project on vocals. She and Juul had been in the prog band Euzen since 2006. As Heilung took off, Euzen has been on hold. Heilung’s music is based on runic incriptions and texts of ancient Germanic people from bothe the Bronze and Viking ages. The topics include Norse Mythology and Germanic deities. 

The three self-released their first studio album in 2015 called “Ofnir”.With Faust’s two decades plus shamanic spiritualism background, along with his vast knowledge of Indo-European history, artifacts, and lore–not to mention his “throat-singing” skills; Juul’s musical and production background, and Franz’s ethereal vocals and folk music background, the trio hit on a very special sound. They refer to it as “Amplified History”. By 2017, they took their sound to a live audience for the first time, augmented by other performers, for an experience unlike any other; more akin to an ancient pagan ritual than a typical concert. One of their fist shows was professionally video-recorded and went viral on YouTube. The live video and accompanying live album, titled “Lifa”, was recorded at Castlefest in 2017. I highly recommend seeking it out on YouTube to get a sense of what their performances are all about. The success of the project got the attention of Season of Mist records, who signed them. They would eventually re-release “Ofnir” and “Lifa” to reach a wider audience.

Their second studio album, the first to be released initially on Season of Mist, was titled “Futha” and released in 2019. The album is said to be a counterpart to “Ofnir” as it is from the female perspective as opposed to “Ofnir”’s male POV. Also around this time period, Heilung composed music for the video game “Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II”. Additionally, some of Heilung’s music was used in the popular TV series “Vikings” during season 6.

In 2021, Heilung made their second live album and video at the world famous Red Rocks Ampitheater near Denver, Colorado. During the show they invited local Native Americans to join in the show opening ritual. The show would eventually be released in 2024 as “Lifa- Iotungard”.

Their third, and most recent studio album to date was released in 2022 and called “Drif”. The album was quite successful, reaching #25 on the Austrian album chart and as high as #9 on the German album chart. “Drif” means gathering. This time around, the focus was on nature. They even used dry leaves as musical instruments! They said that “the songs almost seemed to write themselves”. Following the album Heilung continued to put on stunning live shows, and in 2024 they performed at the UK’s legendary Glastonbury festival. 

Heilung’s unique music is played using instruments that were available to people in the Iron Age including: (copied from their Wikipedia Page):

drums, including one with horse skin painted with human blood, two drums with deerskin and a drum with goatskin

bones, including a human forearm bone and deer bones

a buffalo horn rattle

a clay rattle with human ashes

a Hindu ritual bell

antiques from temples

a reconstructed silver cup from the Viking age

a ravanahatha (an ancient instrument used in India, Sri Lanka and surrounding areas, originating from Hela People, then brought to North India by Hanuman, then to India)

other rattles, whistles, and percussive instruments

In addition to the three official members, Heilung tours with a large company of additional musicians as well as their troup of “Heilung Warriors” They all wear costumes that are either inspired by the spiritual beliefs of “Eurasian Circumpolar Peoples” or based on historical reproductions of Nordic Bronze Age clothing. According to Faust, during a Heilung show "The listener is supposed to be left at ease and in a relaxed state after a magical musical journey that is at times turbulent". This is releated to the concept of healing reflected in their name.

In 2024, Heilung appeared as guest musicians on Kati Rán's SÁLA album. As I type this, they are on tour in Europe, with a final date scheduled for August 17. Following the tour, they plan to take a hiatus, with a promise to return in the future.

If you have any intrest in ancient Germanic/Norse history and culture, I highly recommend following my “Links for Listening.”  

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Prog On!

LINKS FOR LISTENING:

From “Ofnir”

Krigsgaldr:

https://youtu.be/K7ZqZVunCb4

Alfadhirhaiti:

https://youtu.be/b2vRLP7lfMg

LIFA (Full Show)

https://youtu.be/h1BsKIP4uYM

From Futha:

Norupo (Official Video)

https://youtu.be/64CACoHNBEI

Svanrand:

https://youtu.be/VGzOj5JTMnE

Galgaldr:

https://youtu.be/m62iekbg9eo

From Drif:

Anoana [Official Video]:

https://youtu.be/SVbc_Fwbt50

Asja:

https://youtu.be/q4DvaaWeN5o

From “Lifa- Iotungard”

“Traust” Live Video

https://youtu.be/viqXlfkbWmQ