‘Viking War Trance’ project EIHWAR releases their second album “Hugrheim”

French “Viking trance” duo EIHWAR first made some waves a couple of years ago, releasing “Viking War Trance” — a dancefloor project with Nordic folk influences. The idea was daring enough, as previously Viking-related music meant usually something solemn and serious, and preferably spiritual, such as music by Wardruna or Hindarfjäll. Yet, this worked. EIHWAR put itself on the map, despite the opinions that the dance rendition of such themes by a solemn knight and a jumpy, somewhat goofy barbarian is taboo. Just last year, they were welcomed by the famous Tuska Festival, where organizers miscalculated the demand by placing them on the smallest stage — the line was 400 meters long. Norwegian Midgardsblot, a true realm of everything Nordic (that is, folk and black metal), assigned them a headline spot to close the festival with a bang. The female lead, Asrunn, recently gave an interview in Mexican Playboy, although we are not aware of the specifics at the moment.

So, new album. More than ever, musicians are delving into their stage characters’ lore and putting a lot of effort into blending themselves into the Nordic Folk scene. The press release states:

Get ready for the wild electro Nordic folk of EIHWAR! These “Enfants Terribles” aren’t here for solemn atmospheres—their fierce and festive fantasy is made for raging Viking dancefloors. Backed by Season of Mist (home to Heilung and Danheim), Eihwar burst onto YouTube in 2023 and hasn’t slowed down since. With millions of views and festival appearances at Hellfest, Wacken Open Air, and Midgardsblot at the Midgard Viking Center in Norway, they bring a new wave of pagan power shaking across Europe.

This second album from EIHWAR describes the world from which these two pagan superheroes originate. It is “Hugrheim,” the 10th hidden world of Yggdrasil in Eihwar’s fantasy mythology. The two musicians explain:

“Over the past few years, our souls have gradually taken over the bodies of two human musicians. Through incarnation, we lost much of our memories. All that remains are images, emotions, and fragments from our previous existence, mixed in with the thoughts and memories of our human hosts. In this new song, we evoke the memories that gradually come back to us: memories of Hugrheim, the tenth world of Yggdrasil, hidden and unknown to men. This world is shaped by the Hugr, the spirit. In this realm dwell the invisible forces of the soul and consciousness. When our vessels perish here and our incarnation ends, we will return to Hugrheim. Still, we hope to remain here as long as possible this time, because nowadays the beer is fucking good, the rockstar life is pretty damn cool, and dental anesthesia actually exists.”

EIHWAR plays Helsinki (On The Rocks) on April 4, 2026. More than a month ahead, he gig is sold out.