I must admit being drawn into the visuals of the Nordic folk metal duo Eihwar before hearing their music. Eihwar are French musicians Asrunn and Mark and, yes, they do dress in elaborate costumes (Asrunn in black and red face paint partly obscured by a wolf’s skull headdress and Mark in all black with armored helmet and face mask) but their music never takes a backseat to the spectacle. Their website describes it as “music for Viking dancefloors” or Viking War Trance (also the name of their 2024 debut full-length album) but I might add “cinematic” to that list. Thundering drums, strings and woodwinds, and guitar form the bedrock for the the ethereal vocals from Asrunn and Mark’s booming growl.
Eihwar follows in footsteps (both bare and fur-laden) of Nordic folk and neo-pagan musicians like Heilung and Faun but with a definitely more modern dance-heavy feel. And in their first ever North American tour stop at Towson’s The Recher on their Nordic Ritual Night they not only brought that Viking feel but a heaping barrel full of joy with it.
Lining the sidewalk waiting to get into the venue, there were more than a few fans dressed in Viking attire – leather vests and fur-covered jackets – and some with face paint eager to have the chance to finally see this duo live.
Things got started with theatrical doom metal band Frayle. Hailing from Cleveland, Ohio, Frayle came in with the heavy sound of their most recent album, Heretics & Lullabies.
Through smoke and that stunning lighting of The Recher, Eihwar took the stage, telling the crowd that this was only the third US stop they’ve made on their first ever US tour. And with little fanfare they launched into “Heill Ă“Ă°inn,” as the sounds of wolves howling were heard both from the stage and from fans in the crowd.
As Mark stood pounding away at the drum pads, Asrunn danced effortlessly from one end of the stage to the next with her shamanic winnowing drum and mallet. The effect was immediately exhilarating. If you’ve ever been in conversation with someone whose way of speaking and mannerisms are so persuasive you can’t help but be drawn in, that’s the feeling I got from the seemingly endless energy produced from the stage.
Check out the official video for Heill Ă“Ă°inn by Eihwar below:
The guttural growl of the opening to “Skjaldmö” soon turned to a rhythmic groove as Asrunn flew across the floor, mallet in one hand and drum in the other.
In between the thrumming rhythms of songs like “Viking War Trance” and the brilliant “Hugrheim” was the beautifully calm “Sir Mannelig” with those intricately finger-picked chords.
Saving the best for last, Eihwar played a string of high-energy songs from “NauĂ°iz” (a personal favorite) and “Berserkr” as the duo put everything into giving the crowd something extra special.
If you have the chance to see this remarkable band live, take the opportunity since I’m betting the next time they return it will be on a much larger scale. Eihwar continue their tour through the end of September.
The setlist included:
Heill Ă“Ă°inn
Skjaldmö
Yggdrasil’s Renewal
Freyja’s Calling
Sir Mannelig
Völva’s Chant
Ragnarök
Hugrheim
Valhalla
NauĂ°iz
LjĂłsgarĂ°r
Berserkr
Enjoy more photos of Eihwar performing at The Recher on August 30, 2026. All photos are copyright David LaMason:
And check out photos of Frayle opening the night at The Recher on August 30:
Nice work. Stage lighting is difficult to deal with and these are really nice and sharp.