Sowulo converses with death on new single 'Sōl ond Māni' • GRIMM Gent

For the past 15 years, Faber Horbach has traced our connection with the sun through the music of Sowulo, but his upcoming concept album journeys into darkness. Written while grieving the loss of both his father and stepfather, the new single from NIHT is a mythopoetic lament. Looking to Norse cosmology, “Sōl ond Māni” explores the loss of both light and life by using a broken instrument to give death a voice.

Sowulo will make their grand return to Castlefest this Friday, 1 August.

“Sōl ond Māni” takes inspiration from Scandinavian mythology. Carried along over a slow pounding of drums by carnyx, tagelharpa and other ancestral instruments, grieving vocals tell the story of the Sun and the Moon being chased by two mythological wolves until the time of Ragnarök. Moving from whispered incantation to feral howl, the song descends into a place where myth, memory and mourning coalesce.

“The wolves will catch the sun and moon when that fated time comes and their light will spill like blood until there will be no light left”, Horbach says. “This will leave the world in fimbulwinter, when only darkness and conflict remains”.

Last year, Horbach lost both his father and stepfather. Their absence echoes throughout “Sōl ond Māni” through the sawing strings of a broken Nyckelharpa. This fiddle-like instrument accidentally fell onto the ground following one of Sowulo‘s live performances. “Writing this song became a way to give the death of this instrument a voice”, Horbach continues. “To let it sing through its brokenness and turn that into something meaningful”.

The music video for “Sōl ond Māni” was filmed and directed by Vincent de Fallois. Color grading was done by Micky Huijsmans

NIHT comes out 29 August on Season of Mist.

Pre-order
https://orcd.co/sowuloniht

Pre-save on Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/prerelease/6MwgfM76MaUNqyFL8ImNAo

Tracklist:
1. Niwe Mōna (1:03)
2. Seolfren Sicol (3:43)
3. Āsteorfan (4:00) [WATCH]
4. Sōl ond Māni (5:24) [WATCH]
5. Full Mōna (4:18)
6. Miċele Steorran (4:33)
7. Mōnaþblōd (4:12)
8. Nihtēagan (4:04)
9. Carnyx (3:46)
10. Eald Mōna (5:22)
11. Swefnian (4:14)
12. Heolstor Sċeadu (4:04)
13. Genihtian (1:35)
Full runtime: 50:18

Sowulo is the evocative musical work of Faber Horbach, blending the spiritual philosophy of ancient Northern Europe with the continuous cycles of the universe.

Through the use of a wide array of historical instruments, melancholic melodies, and philosophical lyrics in Anglo-Saxon, Sowulo crafts an immersive sonic landscape that invites listeners to embark on an inner journey.

Weaving together the sounds of instruments like the Carnyx, Nyckelharpa, Celtic Harp, Shaman drums, Blow horns, Irish Bouzouki, Taglharpa, Lyre, Viola and various traditional vocal techniques, Sowulo shapes its distinctive sound.

The name “Sowulo,” meaning “Sun” in Proto-Germanic, reflects the essence of the music. As we circle the sun, we feel the cyclical nature of life: day and night, the four seasons, birth and death, and the eternal dance between decay and renewal.

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