I picked up Einherjer’s ‘Far Far North’ at Tower Records in Pacific Plaza, Singapore, in 1997, without really knowing what to expect. From the name and the Norwegian connection, I was expecting something closer to the traditional Enslaved kind of sound I already knew, so the first spin caught me completely off guard. Then ‘Far Far North’ came on and I immediately fell in love with the track. It had the aggression and darkness I was looking for, but there was also a much stronger sense of melody, epic Heavy Metal influence and atmosphere than I had anticipated.
Einherjer came out of Haugesund, Norway, in 1993, formed by Frode Glesnes and Gerhard Storesund after their previous band Beelzebub ended. The early lineup developed around Rune Bjelland on vocals, Frode Glesnes and Audun Wold on guitars, Stein Sund on bass and Gerhard Storesund on drums and synthesizer. The band had already released the ‘Leve Vikingånden’ EP in 1995 and ‘Dragons of the North’ in 1996 before ‘Far Far North’ appeared through Century Media in 1997. The EP was recorded at Grieghallen in January and March 1997 with Eirik “Pytten” Hundvin handling production.
‘Far Far North’ is only three songs, but it is a really interesting snapshot of where the band were at this point. The title track was the new composition, while ‘Når Hammeren Heves’ and ‘Når Aftensolen Rinner’ were re-recorded versions of songs from ‘Leve Vikingånden’. That makes the EP feel like a bridge between their earlier underground material and the direction they were developing after ‘Dragons of the North’.
‘Far Far North’ is still the song that stands out most for me. The guitars have a strong melodic quality and there is a definite traditional Heavy Metal influence underneath the harsher vocals and faster passages. It is epic without becoming overly grandiose, and the melodies give the song a character that separates Einherjer from many of the Norwegian bands active around them. Gerhard Storesund’s synthesizer work adds another layer to the atmosphere, but the guitars remain the main focus.
The two re-recorded tracks are important because they show that this direction was already present in the band’s earlier work. ‘Når Hammeren Heves’ and ‘Når Aftensolen Rinner’ have a stronger connection to their early material, but the Grieghallen recording gives them a fuller sound. They also make it clear that Einherjer’s interest in Norse themes was part of their identity from the beginning rather than something added later.
There is naturally a connection to the wider Norwegian underground of the period. Einherjer’s first live appearance was supporting Enslaved in 1994, and both bands emerged from the same fertile Norwegian environment. But Einherjer were developing something different. Their music took elements of the darker Norwegian sound and combined them with melody, traditional Heavy Metal and a more epic approach, which eventually became one of the foundations of what would be called Viking Metal.
For me, ‘Far Far North’ remains a particularly memorable release because of how unexpected it was. I bought it thinking I already had some idea of what I was going to hear, and instead ‘Far Far North’ opened up another side of the Norwegian underground that I had not really expected. The EP may be short, but the title track alone makes it an important piece of Einherjer’s early history and one of those 1997 releases that has stayed with me.
