About
Heilung is an experimental folk music band made up of members from Denmark, Norway, and Germany. Their music is based on texts and runic inscriptions from Germanic peoples of the Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Viking Age. Heilung describe their music as "amplified history from early medieval northern Europe". Their music is usually about Norse deities, jǫtnar, and valkyries. "Heilung" is a German word meaning "healing" in English.
Heilung was founded in 2014 by vocalist Kai Uwe Faust (a German tattoo artist who specializes in Old Norse tattoos), Danish producer Christopher Juul and the Norwegian singer Maria Franz (of the trio Songleikr and the progressive rock/pop-rock band Euzen). In 2015, the band self-released their debut album, Ofnir.
The band's first performances in 2017 were at Castlefest and at the Midgardsblot Metalfestival. The performance was recorded and released with the title Lifa on YouTube – where it has gained as of 2019 over 6 million views – and as a live album. Their 2017 performance at Midgardsblot was listed as one of the ten best performances of 2017 by Metal Hammer. Later that year, the band signed a contract with the label Season of Mist.
On 20 April 2018, the two previously self-released albums Ofnir and Lifa were reissued on vinyl and CD.