Album Review: Danheim - Heimferd (2025, Season of Mist)

Written: 26th October 2025

Danheim is a Nordic folk and Viking-inspired music project created by Danish producer Reidar Schæfer Olsen. Based in Copenhagen, his compositions often explore the darker aspects of the Viking age, Norse mythology and Danish folklore combining traditional instrumentation with modern production techniques including the use of occasional synths. His music has been featured in the television series Vikings and continuing his prolific output,  Heimferd (which translates as Homecoming or Journey home) once again offers listeners the opportunity to explore Olsen’s world. He explains, “For me, Heimferd is a journey home, not to a physical place, but to my ancestry, honouring the weight of old paths while also forging new ones.”

One of the key elements of Danheim’s work is the feeling that you are stepping into the past. Pastoral sounds of birds, livestock and cowbells linger in the background as the opening track Agermark (Farmland) begins. As with much of his music, a hypnotic, pulsating rhythm is our guide and around it strings, horns and woodwind weave a special tapestry of melody. Both captivating and beautifully bucolic, Agermark strikes a wonderful balance between evoking the echoes of the past and anchoring the listener in the spellbound immediacy of its arcane textures. Rivers flow, ravens caw and a horse ride approaches the end of his journey as the track fades away. All of these additions conjure a vivid sense of place, drawing us deeper with each moment. Brenhin Llwyd (Grey King) gives us the first vocals on the album. A more determined and intense rhythmic structure is topped with layers of throaty, driving vocals that bring a more tenebrous resonance to the song. Within two tracks, Danheim has given us a glimpse of the breadth of his sonic storytelling, shifting seamlessly from rustic serenity to ritualistic strength.

Haukadalur (Valley of the Hawks) which begins with the crashing of water, is a delightful example of the layers of instrumentation of which Danheim makes use. Each passing phase of the song’s first half introduces a fresh embellishment, gradually unfolding into a richly layered moment as reverberant vocals emerge, giving us one of the most uplifting segments on the album. Title track Heimferd follows with heartfelt and stirring vocalisations. Voices combine to bring an aura of community, surging strength of character and a chant-driven sense of spiritual cohesion.

Heljar Skuggar (Shadows of Hel) takes this propulsive energy of the album to new heights, delivering its most ferocious and unrelenting moment. There is a palpable shift; darker and increasingly ominous emotions begin to stir. Ravens caw in foreboding tones and the vocals erupt with a near-aggressive force, stacked and surging with raw power, far more primal and commanding than anything heard so far. A genuine sense of unease permeates the track, as if the listener is being drawn into the shadowed depths of the underworld itself. Jǫtunsvärd (Giant’s Sword), while no less mysterious than Heljar Skuggar, is - initially at least - slower moving. This is before a celebration of more tribal type rhythms are unleashed and we hear a sword being forged. Rain pours and distant thunder crackles adding to the tension - a sense of ancient power reawakening.

As the album continues, tracks such as Komin Dagr (The Day Has Come) and Rúnmyrkr (which literally translates as Rune Darkness) lean towards the more mystical elements of Heimferd. Rúnmyrkr combines the deeper, throbbing vocals of Brenhin Llwyd and the insistent rhythms of Haukadalur. These recurring motifs help tie the album together, even if its direction is shaped more by moods and immersive atmospheres than by a fixed storyline.

Stormdans (Storm Dance) is led by strings that surge and recede with a sense of restless movement. One of the album’s most vivid pieces, it is wild and shifting, capturing the essence of upheaval and transformation. Its changing dynamics reflect a force that is simultaneously destructive and renewing. Valvejen (Path of the Slain) and Vindfari (Wind Traveller) are both more contemplative and threnodic, while penultimate track Hafvindr (Sea Wind) is a short, minute long transitional piece that allows natural sounds to blend with abyssal synths and woodwind that perfectly sets up the final track.

Yggdrasil II is named after the giant ash tree in Norse mythology that is the centre of the cosmos, connecting the nine worlds. A sequel to Yggdrasil, released on Danheim’s 2017 album Fridr, this track carries forward the same slow, cyclical percussion and deep atmospheric tones that defined the original. There is something both tectonic and numinous at play here, bringing a sense of grand majesty to the fore. This track carries pride, pride in a past that still echoes within the hearts of those descended from those who once walked this world. Featuring the same lyrics as its predecessor, now delivered in both Danish and English, Yggdrasil II is haunting, inspiring and evocative in equal measure and stands as one of the album’s true highlights.

At thirteen tracks and forty-three minutes, Heimferd is a tightly constructed album where no piece overstays its welcome. Danheim continues to build on his signature blend of Nordic folk and cinematic sound design, offering music that moves between ritualistic rhythm, pastoral calm and mythical atmosphere. It is best experienced with full attention; there is detail and depth here that deserves to be heard, not simply played in the background. For listeners drawn to the work of Wardruna, Heilung, Forndom or Eihwar, Heimferd offers a similar journey, rooted in tradition yet shaped by modern production. It is a compelling listen that rewards those willing to step fully into its world. Enveloping, absorbing and transportive.

Heimferd is released on 31st October 2025

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