Heilung release “Læknisgaldr”, lead single from Sagas
Àðõèâ íîâîñòåé | Ðóññêàÿ âåðñèÿ
HEILUNG, the world-famous ritual collective from Denmark and Germany, have released “Læknisgaldr”, accompanied by an official music video. The track is the lead single from Sagas, the collective’s first studio release since Drif, which arrives on Season of Mist on December 11th, 2026.
“Læknisgaldr” is conceived as a song of healing. It is rooted in a belief from the early medieval period that language is bound to the condition of the human body: to name an affliction is to define it, contain it and open it to ritual healing. With each repetition of the song’s percussive beat the affliction weakens, until chanting guides it towards dissolution. The video, directed by Gornoss, tells the second part of a greater story about trauma. Set in the forest after a battle has ended, it follows warriors who reach a state of absolute safety and security and are guided into neurogenic tremors, the way mammals shake off the adrenaline built up by shock or danger, as Kai Uwe Faust explains it.
Sagas collects recordings that core members Kai Uwe Faust, Maria Franz and Christopher Juul created in collaboration with Ninja Theory for the video game Hellblade II: Senua’s Saga. Unreleased until now, the material is available in full for the first time on CD, vinyl and digital platforms. Heilung regard Sagas as its own branch within their musical universe, a cinematic, immersive and environmental side of the project. After a 10-day trip across Iceland’s ice caves, rivers, waterfalls, beaches and volcanoes, the three wrote far more material than the game could use, including “Læknisgaldr”. The 2CD mediabook and the 3x12” vinyl editions also include Sagas + Ambient, a companion set of eight tracks.
Since 2015, Heilung have connected modern listeners with the beginnings of humanity through what they call amplified history, pairing authentic and archaic instrumentation, from rattles and ritual bells to human bones and throat singing, with the subtle electronic elements Juul brings to the production. Their self-released debut Ofnir appeared in 2015, and their live ritual debuted at Castlefest in 2017. Season of Mist label owner Michael Berberian signed the band after seeing that ritual first-hand. Futha followed in 2019 and placed on seven Billboard charts, and Drif is the third studio album. Their songs have reached audiences through Game of Thrones, Vikings and Robert Eggers’ The Northman, and their first North American tour sold out in 72 hours. A sold-out 2021 show at Red Rocks Amphitheatre was released as the live album Lifa Iotungard in 2024, and in 2025 the collective headlined tours of Europe, Australia and New Zealand and played Roskilde, Download and Glastonbury. After a hiatus, they announced in September 2026 that they would return to the studio in October to record their fourth studio album.
Sagas was recorded, mixed and mastered at LAVA Studio, and produced, mixed, mastered and engineered by Christopher Juul. The video for “Læknisgaldr” was directed by Gornoss and produced by Eudaimonia APS and Maria Franz. It was filmed on location at Borre Vikingmarked in Borre National Park, Norway, and at Árdalur, Írárfoss and other locations across Iceland.
Heilung says: “The first sound you hear on ‘Læknisgaldr’ was not made by anything from our reality. During the recording process, somehow, while playing with real human bones and breath, we managed to capture a ghost in the studio!”
Sagas - Track list:
1. Geiteseidh (00:48)
2. Slagt (03:53)
3. Læknisgaldr (06:15)
4. Orrustumaul (02:34)
5. Seidh (05:06)
6. Jøtnarhaiti (05:30)
7. Sverdhasøngurin (04:10)
8. Spjoutsyla (02:42)
9. Sonatorrek (02:01)
10. Opnun (05:10)
11. Dauðimessa (02:32)
Ambient - Track list:
1. Strongyle (11:01)
2. Ran (13:04)
3. Dimmuborgir (06:13)
4. Baina (03:34)
5. Isshellir (02:15)
6. Hvaldaudhigaldr (15:45)
7. Meinbein (14:03)
8. Hyttepåhyttepå (02:31)
