Wardruna - Grá (cover)

I have to start with a confession, dear Reader: I'm not a fan of Wardruna, nor of the entire dark ambient folk genre. Don't take me wrong, I don't hate it. I think I'm just way too Eastern European for this music. I'm glad that Wardruna's music probably opened the doors for a lot of people to get to know ancient Scandinavian history and traditions, but at the same time, well, feel free to be mad at me, if I listen to them, I fall asleep after approx. 2 songs. Since the genre's boundaries are rather narrow and there aren't many chances for the musicians to experiment and try out new things, the songs sound very similar for my ears - regardless of any album, even regardless of the performer.

Yes, I know that Wardruna got to be in the spotlight mostly after appearing in "Vikings", but let me admit this to you, dear Reader and forgive me if I make you disappointed. I watched approx. 20 minutes from the first episode of the series and even those I did with a constant hysterical laughter. The opening scenes were so full of predictable actions, commonplaces and half-truths that I couldn't take it seriously and decided to switch it off. 

Stone me to death, dear Reader. And let me cry "I LOVE CYGNUS" with my last breath. Thank you. 👼

I remember in the beginning I wasn't fascinated much by the fact that Cygnus covered Wardruna, merely for the reasons mentioned above. They had tons of other covers anyway that they swept me off my feet with - not to mention their own songs - so I didn't pay too much attention to it. I think the first time I paid actual attention to it when Wardruna's official fan community posted it all over their social media sites.

That was the first time I actually gave it a deeper listen, comparing it with the original. And I found

and I keep myself to it ever since, even if I may hurt the feelings of some people with my standpoint

that this cover is the best thing that could happen to the original song.

Seriously.

It's much deeper, much more overworldly/transcendental with a much more profound vibration the original song can ever have. This ancient, deep-rooted power that Cygnus's cover has got overshadows in my ears every attempt Einar Selvik & Co. is trying with.

This is the truth.

These Colombians live and breathe this song (sometimes literally!), you feel the heat of their blood flowing and their hearts pulsating through it. It hits you right in the stomach after the intro with the wolves' howling, when you hear Deneb's voice.

Yes.

It's him.

That deeply vibrating, echoing, warm but very powerful, very manly, rumbling voice comes from his throat.

At first even I didn't want to believe my ears. My favorite bassist-singer with his mellow, rich baritone doing THIS?... This deeply resonating, velvety but so powerful tone that makes even the earth move?... YES! He can do that, too!

I have no idea how he could make it, how much he had to train his vocal chords and how much he needed to practice and rehearse to make it. But he made it, beautifully, and the result is a wonderful, out-of-this-world, transcendentally vibrating humane voice. In case he would like to use this voice more, I can only encourage him!

Then enter the percussions. Forget the shaman drum of the original song; Ruxx immediately starts with the timpani. Their sound is immense, accompanying Deneb's growling, intense vocals; the listener feels their heartbeat following the drums and the sharp crackle of percussions, while the humane voice is swirling around you, sliding into your veins through your ears, slowly but surely heating your blood.

And it's still not everything.

Ruxx, I swear, he brought out those barrels to the sunlight the band keeps the radioactive material in, and decided to turn them into drums. The result is two giant timpani hitting the listener right on the chest like a hoarde of war oliphaunts running through you in the direction of the Pelennor Fields. Deneb's vocals have set a fire in the veins of the listener, the drums and percussions help your heart to pump the blood, and that's the moment when Ruxx joins in with his voice.

This is what I've been fascinated by since Folkgressive, namely how these men can use their voices as instruments (and how much it's a rare ability among singers). Ruxx especially seem to have a talent for this; he reaches up to the heights of a rock opera singer letting his sharp tenor flow - you can see in the video, he is singing in trance! - empowered by the deeply resonating timpani.

If you haven't had goosebumps yet, at this point you will.

In case you already have them, here at this point your eyes are full of tears.

Deneb's voice keeps flowing; you would have never thought he can make so ancient forces move with his voice. 

You hear the rumble of mountains, the thunderstorm's roar, the sky-high waves of the seas through his vocals, all shaking and shivering inside of you, while Ruxx's voice flies around you in the heights like an eagle.

The percussions pulsate, you literally feel (and hear!) the warriors' hot, heavy breath and deep whisper on the back of your neck. You shiver and you're ready for the battlefield.

With warriors like them on your side even Death gets scared and runs away...

And there's that little pause. When the music suddenly stops, only a female voice can be heard. You know something will happen. Something beautiful, sweeping, that takes your breath away, leaves you shivering, in tears. Something only Cygnus can do.

The catharsis.

It's coming and it tears you into a million ecstatic pieces.

The guitar. The bass. The drums (now the traditional rock drumset). Irresistible, beautiful, flows like a bewildered river, grabs you, holds you while it runs through you. And you let it - not that you had any other choice, it's so powerful you just surrender and let yourself burst into a myriad of dancing atoms by its beauty. Ruxx is singing, and here he is also hitting the lower regions of his vocal range. 

This is very very interesting. I love it, I fkin love it! I love when these musicians are trying their own limits, because they come up with something new, beautiful and extraordinary every time... It would be really exciting to get to know one day how much preparation this cover needed, how much Ruxx and Deneb needed to train their voices, whether they needed it at all.

Then the orchestration enters.

This is something amazing. I found by default the use of electric instruments as a wonderful idea, but adding the orchestration to it adds a subtle and very sweet essence to it. What a contrast between the deep, ancient vibes of the first part, but even in comparison to the entering of the "metal" instruments!... This, this is one of the mysteries of the beauty of Cygnus's music for me, these hidden little secrets, these tiny details, these little add-ons a shallow listening usually doesn't allow the listener to recognize. And the catharsis is growing, Ruxx's voice slowly turns into a crescendo, his natural tenor showing the way to the gruntling bass, the drums, the faithful guitar and the aethereal, divine orchestration.

And you can only ponder how lucky you are to have this band in your life.

Listen, love, share, get addicted, then start it over!