Review: Nytt Land ‘Songs Of The Shaman’

Nytt Land‘s work has slowly moved from their Nordic folk beginnings into a deeper representation of their Siberian heritage, beginning on 2021’s Ritual, and has come to its apex here on their newest record, Songs Of The Shaman.

Interpreting the shamanic songs and spells of the Manchu-Tungus ethno-linguistic groups, using their own languages and traditional instruments, Nytt Land are aiming to preserve their ancient culture and also bring it to a wider audience. I’ve really become a fan of their unique style of ritualistic folk music over the past few years, so I’m fascinated with what they can do with such a project as Songs Of The Shaman is out now through Prophecy Productions.

Nytt Land‘s music has always had a real haunting quality to it; a real whisper of time immemorial but with their latest album, it takes on a whole new level of effect. Opener Eikule Yekule ripples with an unseen power, drawing you deep into their Siberian mystique with merely the hypnotic, tribalistic suggestions of more to see, more to learn. This is a fascinating journey through some of the most ancient culture on the planet, from the trembling repetitions of Kerani Kerani into the spellbinding Hobage Yebage and the forceful Ara Koro.

Everything calls to mind different aspects of the life it portrays; the sadness, the resilience, the quiet understated power of the past. It feels difficult to detach yourself from the likes of Hoge Yage, such is the all-encompassing authenticity of what Nytt Land brings to the table, as each track bleeds into one another to really emphasise the collective ritual we are all becoming part of.

Songs Of The Shaman will bring you closer to an understanding of our primal humanity than anything else, and it sounds incredible while it does it…

You are there, on the steppe, sitting by the fire under the blackest of night skies hearing the shaman weave tales of ancestors, of the stars and the gods that dwell amongst them, of the rocks and rivers that make your land. Eyes drawn to the shapes that dance in the flames, the whole experience becomes an experience of droning folk mythology that you cannot turn away from.

Songs Of The Shaman becomes part of a discography that is rife with beautiful records, but its thematic focus elevates it above much of this proto-European folk music into a realm of its own. I won’t begin to pretend I understand what it all means, but I know how it makes me feel.

Nytt Land aren’t just Wardruna clones jumping on a bandwagon, they are a collective of true musical nomads, destined to wander the steppes and draw inspiration from what they find there. Songs Of The Shaman will bring you closer to an understanding of our primal humanity than anything else, and it sounds incredible while it does it.

Label: Prophecy Productions
Band Links: Facebook | Bandcamp | Spotify | Instagram

Scribed by: Sandy Williamson