Last week this scribe ran into an old friend of his on a cold and wintry afternoon in Bergen’s Sandviken area, namely bass player extraordinaire V’gandr of Helheim fame. After chatting for a bit, I casually mentioned that it had been ages since we had done a proper interview together but that what I was really interested in was to do something a bit different to the norm. The minute I said that his eyes lit up, and he suggested I pay the band a visit the following Monday at the location where they rehearse. I could tell that he had something very cool in mind, and my instincts are usually never wrong when it comes to stuff like that.
On Monday November 24, I showed up at the given address and was politely ushered into a relatively cramped rehearsal space. V’gandr and I were the first ones to arrive along with Helheim’s friendly social media guru/merchandise manager named Tore who was there to pick up some vinyls and shirts for the webstore, I believe. Within the next ten minutes or so the rest of the group arrived, and what I had been invited to witness was Helheim doing final rehearsals for their upcoming performance on Saturday (November 29) at the renowned Messe des Morts Festival in Canada where they will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Jormundgand debut offering by playing it front to back. No small occasion then, and certainly not something that I was about to take lightly (or for granted, for that matter). After all, said record occupies a very special place in my heart, and to be able to see and hear them tear through its richly evocative content in such an intimate setting was quite the intriguing prospect. Now, Helheim has performed the album previously, namely at this year’s Beyond the Gates festival in early August, but this would be my first time listening to the classic Viking metal output from 1995 being presented in its pitch-black entirety. Was I excited? You fucking bet!
Although Helheim is essentially a quartet and has been so for many years, the song material that constitutes Jormundgand and the instrumentation utilised on that LP basically require a fifth member on stage, hence the presence of the talented keyboardist/vocalist/percussionist Kjetil Vikene – a very funny and pleasant guy to be around, I might add. If you have yet to check his band The Dredge out, you are in for a treat. It was fascinating to get a glimpse of how these gentlemen interacted with each other both socially and musically, so to speak. One thing is the interplay between them on stage or when rehearsing, but the other thing is how they talk and respond to each other. Let me just say that there was an element of humour present, as was anticipation in that you could easily tell they were excited about the idea of bringing Jormundgand to life thousands of miles from home in front of a gathering of Canadian pagan metal devotees.
Following a bit of talk among the various members as to how much merchandise to take with them to Messe des Morts and sorting out a few other practical details, they went straight to work and tuned their instruments, checked the levels, and tore into the album’s furious and blistering title track with gusto. A muscular and robust sound emanated from the speakers, and it was strangely wonderful to hear V’gandr summon up those insane (and insanely) high-pitched and torturous screams that characterised the original album version. This vicious piece of work immediately set the tone for what was to follow, which, in rather crude terms, was a proper tour de force consisting of clever shifts, plenty of dynamics, and face-melting riffs. I have always loved Hrymr’s creative drumming in that composition and sitting three feet away from him and seeing him work his magic was an absolute joy.
‘Vigrids Vård’ is an epic one that evokes a cold and wintry feel – much like the title track does – and I could only marvel as they effortlessly conjured up that exact same vibe. Its memorable verse gets me every time, and Monday night was no different. That one strikes these ears as being rooted in classic Norwegian black metal from the 90s yet the way in which the music and lyrics complement each other and also the use of different vocal styles entail that it travels so much further afield than much of the stuff that other black metal bands released back then.
The beautiful and melancholy ‘Nidr ok Nordr liggr Helvegr’ followed suit, and it had never really dawned on me just how much light and shade it contains until now. The different vocal styles utilised by V’gandr and H’grimnir complemented each other superbly with the latter’s dark and occasionally tempered voice infusing the tune with an introspective quality and a deep-seated sense of longing. Its morose melodies and windswept aura are just to die for, and the 2025 version that I witnessed was a fascinating interpretation of its album counterpart. The five-piece discussed this one quite a bit afterwards and went over some of the details to iron out a few kinks and make sure that it possessed just the right flow and mesmerising vibe. On a little side note, V’gandr was on mouth harp duty here and played the introductory ten strokes (or notes, if you will), which was great fun to see and hear. There were also a few issues regarding the timing that prompted a few chuckles and laughter along the way.
‘Gravlagt i Eljudne’ was raging and tempestuous as it howled out in agony and ecstasy, and it struck these ears as being the most accessible entry in the setlist, whereas the dark and brooding ‘Svart Visdom’ is an unsettling and unsettled track that lends itself well to the imagination due to its words and blazing riffs working in perfect tandem. You get that simple yet effective keyboard melody offset by raging passages, and the way they played it on Monday night in rehearsals left me feeling that it was somehow more raw, unfiltered, and moody than anything they had played thus far.
‘Jotnevandring’ was a unique experience too. Hrymr occupied the keyboards for this neo-classical-ish and almost folk-like track that somehow feels like travelling back in time when one listens to it. It was neither whimsical nor bucolic-sounding, but rather baroque-like to these ears, which is merely a backhanded way of paying it a compliment. The sinister vocals courtesy of V’gandr colored the piece enormously and gave it a touch of something foreboding. The cool thing about this one was that it generated a bit of talk and discussion revolving around the use of percussion (or is that in actual fact timpani?) and the timing of the strokes.
To cap things off, the majestic album closer appropriately titled ‘Nattravnens Tokt’ brought things to a fitting climax and a glorious denouement that only the best Viking metal bands are capable of mustering. . . only that it suffered from a “false start,” which made everyone smile and laugh, so they went back and launched into anew and everything fell into place and delivered the bone-chilling vibes that this scribe was hoping for. With three of the guys singing simultaneously at some point, it came across as fucking massive. It all ended in a cacophony of crashing drums and loud guitars.
The brief noise ambient-esque soundscapes between each song worked like a charm in that they tied everything together rather neatly and made it feel like a whole. You could be forgiven for thinking that this is merely a minor detail, but it added cohesion to it all.
The aforementioned Kjetil Vikene added keyboard atmospherics, clean singing, chants, and even a few percussive bits and pieces throughout, and that helped flesh out the compositions. Reichborn and H’grimnir handled guitars and added a bit of oomph and texture to the proceedings as well while V’gandr’s rumbling bass lines and Hrymr’s intense drumming propelled things forward at all times. More than anything, though, what inspired me and left a lasting impression was the fact that these guys were in their late teens when they crafted this glorious vortex of whirlwind riffs and pagan moods, and what does not come across on the record (in large part due to the production) is how many subtle layers and nuances it actually contains. On top of that, it is eminently structured and imbued with just the right amount of grandeur, but not in the pompous sense of the word. They carved out their own path and musical identity pretty much from the get-go, and I can only imagine how hungry, driven, and ambitious they were in the murky mid-nineties for them to be able to craft something as wide in scope as Jormundgand is. Helheim as an entity, has always represented something forward-thinking and progressive, but it fascinates me to no end that they were like that even back then. As it turns out, some things never change; they have consistently churned out innovative stuff since 1995 and show no signs of slowing down.
What happened on Monday night is that a bunch of seasoned veterans performed songs from their past with a sense of conviction and authority that can only come with age and experience. They stayed true to the source material, yet they brought out hitherto unknown and unheard dimensions and aspects of those ancient compositions, thereby making it a completely new and different experience. If anything, it illustrates just how much depth Jormundgand possesses and its timelessness.
As to the dynamics within the group and the way in which they interact with each other, you can easily tell that this is a close-knit outfit in many respects. Hrymr the analytical and detail-oriented one who is perfectly attuned to what everyone else is doing; Reichborn the calm-looking yet extremely tight and technically brilliant guitarist with a flair for melodic playing, V’gandr the deeply passionate and highly charismatic vocalist and bass player who lives and breathes every note and word; and finally H’grimnir who is the very definition of cool and composed in my opinion, almost akin to a quiet authority who instantly puts you at ease yet you pay close attention to every word he says – I simply love that guy!
Our heathen friends in Canada are undoubtedly in for a fabulous night in the shadow of the all-consuming Jormundgand.
