Viking melodic death metal band, Vanir, have released a lyric video for "See The Dragons Ride", featured on the band's new album, Sagas, out now via Mighty Music. Watch the clip below.
Written and recorded during the pandemic, mixed and mastered by Rune Stiassny (Iron Fire, Saturnus), Sagas is mostly themed around Nordic mythology, but also has a song dedicated to one of the most important fantasy writers in history - J.R.R. Tolkien - who was himself greatly inspired by Nordic mythology and Denmark. On the other hand, a song such as “Black Clad” is a double-edge sword; written as a tribute to the Norse god Brage, but also as a tribute to the fans of metal.
The fans that support the scene and who will be the backbone of the live shows in the post-pandemic world. Martin Rubini, Vanir’s vocalist, comments: “During the pandemic, the world of music was turned upside down. This album has been our anchor in the creative part of our lives, in a period where all our shows were cancelled and we still needed to be creative and do what we enjoy, playing metal. With Sagas, we continue the route we laid out with Aldar Rök and Allfather and the vision we have for Vanir.”
Such is the Vanir approach to themes in 2021 / 2022: melodic and fierce soundscapes, with lyrical strings tied to mythology and heathen paganism, but not ending there. Sagas' artwork portrays this with a mixture of various Norse mythical imagery. It is inspired by the idea of fate and the Norns, which are here interpreted as a singular being, displaying various aspects of fate, while intertwined in its threads. It shows an elegant, feminine and strong imagery.
The artwork, which can be seen above, was done by bassist Lars Bundvad. “For this album, I didn’t write any music,” he explains. “Having been sidelined due to the pandemic - my immune system is not terribly robust - I wanted to go the extra mile and push myself for the artwork. The Norn portraits a strong feminine character and a sage who holds both wisdom and power. And I’m very happy with the result”.
Sagas is available on CD, LP (two different colours, each limited to 300 units) and digital formats via Mighty Music.
(Photo - Tine Hviid Roger)
