AFARGANG – Andvake

RELEASE YEAR: 2025
BAND URL: https://afargang.bandcamp.com/album/andvake

Afargang, which is a relatively new and exciting addition to the Norwegian progressive scene, offers plenty of atmosphere and evocative qualities on this unique-sounding debut album of theirs.

Spearheaded and masterminded by fiddle player and harpist Olav L. Mjelva, this talented ensemble merges folk music, forward-thinking black metal, and prog metal to great effect and conjure up a musical landscape filled with yearning, melancholy, and a deep-seated appreciation for old Norse history. Folk metal might be considered an apt description, yet Afargang presents us with a musically adventurous and sonically explorative piece of work that feels completely different to the stuff out there that usually falls under that category. With the fiddle occupying such a prominent position throughout, the songs strike an interesting balance between something that feels very traditional and something that, creatively speaking, belongs in a modern context in which new, original ideas are tried out and tested. A broad canvas in many respects and one that depicts countless fascinating motifs, Andvake is an engaging listen that encompasses light and darkness, thereby making for a varied odyssey with a singular expressiveness to it, and although it never quite morphs into a transcendent and dizzyingly climactic experience as the vocals lack conviction in places, it is undoubtedly a beguiling and self-assured record on so many levels (and also one that bodes extremely well for the future).

Andvake is stark and introspective stuff crafted with care and effort, and fans of the legendary From Haavardstun by Bak De Syv Fjell will find a lot to admire and cherish here.