Release Date: November 23rd, 2023
Label: Season Of Mist (LP/CD/Digital)
HELGA: Dalarna and Halifax Based Haunted Ethereal Progressive Metal Band Summons a Plethora of Layers and Genres on ‘Wrapped in Mist’; Album Sees Release Friday November 24th on SEASON OF MIST. Listen to ‘Wrapped in Mist’ in its Entirety AT THIS LOCATION. FFO: Listen to Opeth, Anna Von Hausswolff, Alcest, The Gathering, Mt. Zion, Myrkur, King Crimson
Hailing from the Swedish hinterlands of Dalarna and Halifax, West Yorkshire, HELGA came together in 2019. United by singer Helga Gabriel, the quintet delve into a musical alchemy while pursuing darker manifestations.
HELGA’s debut album comes out November 24. But the band are now streaming all of Wrapped in Mist on the Season Of Mist YouTube channel.
“‘Wrapped in Mist’ is the most collaborative HELGA record to date and marks a new chapter for us”, the band says. “It’s the first album with this lineup and is a product of each of our personalities and influences. We hope you enjoy it half as much as we enjoyed the journey of creating it!”
A plethora of layers and genres present themselves on Wrapped in Mist, Tracks like “Skogen mumlar” portray the band’s progressive folk capabilities, while their more introspective qualities are laid bare on “Alive Again“.
“As the vibrant hues of autumn give way to the crisp embrace of winter, the music world eagerly awaits the emergence of a unique musical entity, HELGA,” writes Female Fronted Power.
Order:https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/HelgaWrappedInMist
Save: https://orcd.co/wrappedinmistpresave
The album’s opening track and lead single, “Skogen mumlar (The Forest Murmurs)”, transcends into emotive dreamscapes that will leave your hairs trembling, with Ennio Morricone echoing as the intro’s muse.
The band then shifts around playfully with second single “Burden”, recounting a tale of relinquishment and its complexity. Introspective and intricate musical passages culminate in a reassuring mélange of emotions, as Helga recognizes having finally found her place in this world.
Songs like “Farväl” & “Som en trumma” reveal HELGA’s more abrasive black metal sensibilities. Wrapped in Mist truly transcends the boundaries of genre, lacing ethereal vocal melodies with limitless, captivating instrumentation.
Tracklist
1. Skogen mumlar (4:23) [WATCH]
2. Burden (4:57) [WATCH]
3. Water (3:55)
4. If Death Comes Now (3:58)
5. Farväl (4:34)
6. Alive Again (3:35) [WATCH]
7. Vast and Wild (4:04)
8. Som en trumma (4:26)
9. Mountain Song (5:34)
10. Wrapped in Mist (6:41)
Total runtime: 44:07
Style: Haunted Ethereal Progressive Metal
FFO: Opeth, Anna Von Hasswolff, Alcest, The Gathering, Mt. Zion,
Myrkur, King Crimson
Hailing from the Swedish hinterlands of Dalarna and Halifax, West Yorkshire, HELGA amalgamated in 2019 in York, North Yorkshire. United by singer, Helga Gabriel, the quintet delve into a musical alchemy on their pursuit of darker manifestations.
“We draw on many different influences from Swedish folk to progressive metal to post-rock to black metal to pop. Distilling this into a single style is a challenge.” -Cai S.
Summoning this plethora of layers and genre, HELGA culminate their premier album Wrapped in Mist into dirgeful lamentations of mortality and mental health, punctuated by formidable drumming, spectral strings and chugging riffs.
The album’s opening track, Skogen mumlar (The Forest Murmurs), transcends forthwith into emotive dreamscapes that leave hairs trembling, Ennio Morricone echoing as the intro’s muse.
But as the journey through Wrapped in Mist transpires, songs such as Farväl (Farewell) reveal HELGA’s black metal and darker sensibilities. Bewitching through this myriad range, the album’s waltzing coda flirts
with a melodic baroque that crescendos with Opeth-esque climax.
The inception of Wrapped in Mist promises to plunge HELGA deep into the spotlight of mesmerising live performances following release. From the hills and forests of rural dwelling, this is a band destined for a journey worth following.
Lineup
Helga Gabriel – Vocals
Cai Sumption – Guitar
Cameron Gledhill – Guitar
Ryan Fairclough – Bass
Sami Javed – Drums
Recording
Guitars and vocals recorded by Tom Peters at Trapdoor Studios
Drums recorded by Bob Cooper at Chairworks StudiosProduction
Produced and mixed by Luiz Felipe Netto
Mastered by Brad Boatright at AudiosiegeAdditional musicians
Damian Bolotin – Violin on “Skogen mumlar”, “Vast and Wild” and “Wrapped in Mist”.
Antonio Guerra – Grand piano on “Mountain Song” and “Vast and Wild”.
Mafram do Maracanã – Percussion on “Skogen mumlar” and “Wrapped in Mist”
Bruno Migliari – Double bass on “Mountain Song”, “Skogen mumlar” and “Wrapped in Mist”
Luiz Felipe Netto – Acoustic guitar on “If Death Comes Now” & “Wrapped in Mist”, as well as additional electric guitars, keyboards and string arrangements.
Ayran Nicodemo – Violin on “Mountain Song”, “Skogen mumlar”, “Vast and Wild” and “Wrapped in Mist”
Bruno Serroni – Cello on “Farväl” and “Vast and Wild”
Joe Zeitlin – Cello on “Farväl”, “Mountain Song”, “Skogen mumlar”, “Vast and Wild” & “Wrapped in Mist”
Cover art by David Thiérrée
Album layout by Per Wiberg
Photos by Ester Segarra
Links
https://helgamusic.bandcamp.com
https://facebook.com/helgadalarna
https://instagram.com/forestchildhelga