Heilung Begins Next Chapter of Music Journey in “Anoana”

Well-beloved Danish, German, and Norwegian act, Heilung, returns from the depths of their creative process with a new, otherworldly sound in “Anoana.” Combining ancient lyrics with otherworldly vocals, field recordings, dark ambient soundscapes, and shamanic rhythms, Heilung creates a trance-inducing blend that evokes the very dawn of civilization throughout their work.

Such is the magic of Heilung, the folk group extending and deepening listeners’ fascination with Norse history since 2014. Standing for “healing” in German, Heilung was formed in the sounds that soothe and mend the soul by German vocalist Kai Uwe Faust and Danish multi-instrumentalist and studio engineer Christopher Juul. Shortly after, the Norwegian singer Maria Franz joined the project. Heritage, tradition, folklore, runes, and ancient rituals — these are the things the group has been entertaining their listeners and viewers with. They’ve reminded us of our shared path, our oneness with nature, and the importance of myth and symbol.

Calling their style “amplified history,” in 2015 they self-released their debut album, Ofnir, which quickly attracted attention. However, it was in a crowd of ten thousand strong where they garnered the attention of many worldwide, at 2017’s Castlefest in Lisse. As their first ever performance, a ritual filled their live sound, uniquely crafted from the mass of music around them, they stood proud, clad in ancient furs, bones, and antlers. Recorded and made accessible online, the views swarmed in as newfound fans craved the in person experience for themselves.

Since the famed performance, Heilung has re-released their debut, and unveiled their second album, Lifa; and followed with Futha just a year afterward. With a tour on the horizon, they release their next chapter, beginning with “Anoana,” paired with otherworldly visuals.

They’ve also made amazing, startling, radiant music — often on the same skin, bone, and stone instruments available that Viking musicians played during the Bronze and Iron Ages. Keeping with the songs’ themes, they’ve even explored the resonant possibilities of swords and shields. Heilung’s amplified folk instruments are conduits connecting the past to the present and stark reminders of the trans-historic power of pure sound.

Read their description of their music video, and the single, as a whole. In no way could I do justice to a summary myself as I have continued to bask in the glory and the absolute magic that is their craft.

In a glade, a girl attaches twig anglers to her head. She’s young, but the gesture has a significance that goes well beyond play. Her manner is that of a sorceress, and her bearing is that of a forest queen.

And twenty seconds into the ravishing, gorgeous clip for Heilung’s “Anoana,” another person appears wearing antlers made of sharp sticks. It’s vocalist Maria Franz, who rises from the sea like a shimmering apparition. She’s dressed as a Nordic shaman, in blizzard-white robes and a fringed headdress covering her eyes. There were no video cameras during the Viking Age, but if there were, what they captured would’ve looked an awful lot like this.

“Anoana” is a pivotal track on Drif, their third album, a set that digs deeper into the prehistoric roots of modern music than Heilung has ever gone before. Like the album it’s from, the song is sweeping, cinematic, and hypnotic, with traces of metal and atmospheric music enlivening the folk arrangement. Like its predecessor, “Norupo” (a song with a video that has already been streamed 12 million times), the lyrics to “Anoana” are derived from ancient sources: in this case, inscriptions on golden amulets recovered from Northern European sites by archaeologists and treasure hunters.

The clip for “Anoana” involves discovering a different kind of treasure: a human life. Shot among jaw-dropping, spectacular Nordic mountain scenery, the “Anoana” video takes us inside a cavern, where a body-painted woman gives birth to a baby whose beauty is almost supernatural. The connections between the female characters in the clip — the child in the glade, the mother, the other worshippers around a bonfire, and Maria Franz herself — are powerful and spiritually consequential.

Witness the beauty within the official video for “Anoana,” and listen to the single, available now on all major platforms: