Review: Eldrim ‘Daudarstev’
When you think of Viking folk music, you are inevitably drawn immediately to Wardruna and their litany of special albums and soundtrack work on ‘Vikings’. But there are many more bands and collectives out there that are ploughing similar furrows and maintaining these musical heritages beyond just Einar and his brethren. Enter Eldrim, a Norwegian group whose new record Daudarstev is out now and follows up their 2019 debut Kvile. The band have released this independently.
I’ve spent a lot of time getting into music like Eldrim‘s in the past few years, so I’m not diving blindly here despite having never come across the band before now. I can tell immediately from opener Oss To that Wardruna is an obvious influence on them vocally at least, but that doesn’t make them just another Viking folk group leaning on their countrymen’s success. Eldrim‘s music is all crafted on handmade instruments, and the group play at medieval and Viking markets/fares, giving you a much more DIY feel about their music.
As with much of Viking folk music, Daudarstev is a haunting and melancholic album that drifts quietly by you, wreathing you in ancient magic and authentic soundscapes of a millennia past. Frid is a particular favourite, the ghostly vocals of Hilde Midtgaard really capturing an old Nordic beauty; a misty fen at sunset or a crisp clear winter night under the stars at the banks of a fjord.
Daudarstev is a very evocative, soothing and yet enthralling record that marks a new and beautiful voice in the genre of Viking folk…
Eldrim‘s sound is more low key and subtle in execution, never stepping out from behind the background but being an essential soundtrack to your thoughts, that will drift towards your ancestral homes and times when life was harder yet simpler. I love the slow build of Oske and the plaintive Nattefjør is magical stuff.
Daudarstev is a very evocative, soothing and yet enthralling record that marks a new and beautiful voice in the genre of Viking folk. Wardruna’s shadow may lie heavy upon the whole thing, but bands like Eldrim more than hold up their part in the grand saga of these olden tunes. Daudarstev is melancholic but it is much more of a wistful sadness than depressive, and you can feel the roots of ancestry in every plucked note, every pounded drum and each hymnal voice. Perhaps a simpler, quieter and more introspective take than some of their peers, but Eldrim are a band I will remain invested in for a long time.
Label: Independent
Band Links: Official | Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram
Scribed by: Sandy Williamson
