Heilung - Alfadhirhaiti

I discovered Heilung after they composed the soundtrack for the sequel to a favorite game of mine: Senua’s Saga. I heard the song in the trailer and immediately needed to listen to more, and found my way to listening to their first ever live performance as a group, which this version of Alfadhirhaiti is from. It isn’t the same song from the game trailer, that would be In Maidjan, but honestly, every single song from this performance is worth a listen, and it’s crazy that this is their very first. 

Alfadhirhaiti builds up throughout the song until it becomes almost like a chant that feels like a trance, and it’s only enhanced by the addition of extra performers on stage to fill the role of warriors chanting along. The chant itself is comprised mostly of many of the names the Norse god Odin goes by, making it feel almost like a prayer. 

A good way to truly appreciate Heilung’s music is to let yourself just fully into the immersion. If you have a good chunk of time (about an hour), give their Lifa performance a listen all the way through with no interruption. It’s incredible how sucked in you’ll find yourself getting. Their music has a way of transporting you to another place of contemplation. 

And fun fact - they not only did the soundtrack for the second Senua’s Saga, they have also had their music featured in the show Vikings, and had their music featured in a trailer for the movie The Northman - with one of the artists from the group even being featured in the movie itself!