Only one album released over more than ten years of activity, yet VANAHEIM pleasantly surprise with mature and finely crafted songwriting. Although the band is often presented as epic folk metal performers, the Dutch group’s music contains a far broader genre palette and virtuously arranged compositions.
On their debut EP The House Spirit, VANAHEIM introduced themselves through spiritual pagan/folk metal. Rather than overindulging in a rowdy, playful sound, the musicians favored a Nordic, somber, Scandinavian-influenced pagan metal approach, enchanting listeners with the release’s aura and hypnotic atmosphere. However, on the full-length album Een Verloren Verhaal, the band opens the gates wide to a synthesis and depth of power, death, and folk metal. The compositions are far more diverse, featuring epic melodies and solos, while never forgetting the weight of cold, heavy metallic steel.
As befits the genre’s canon, VANAHEIM move between folk-oriented sounds, violins and accordion, tribal and neo-folk elements, darkwave aesthetics, and a strict guitar-driven foundation. By combining traditional folk melodies with majestic vocals, the musicians preserve the atmospheric, warlike, and pagan-inspired roots of heavy music.
