Faun announce new album ‘HEX’ and release new single and music video

The new single “Lament” is based on the ancient English folk song Lyke-Wake Dirge. Lyke-Wake means “wake for the dead,” and Dirge means “lament.” The original is certainly pre-Christian in origin and describes the soul’s journey after death. FAUN added new verses to the piece, emphasizing its pagan and Celtic roots.

FAUN dedicated this song to Jürgen Schneider, who accompanied the band as their sound technician for over ten years. He was not only crucial to the sound of their live performances, but also a close friend. After countless adventures and journeys together, Jürgen tragically fell ill and passed away unexpectedly in the spring of 2023.

See the new video for “Lament” here: 

On April 22, 2022, FAUN released their album Pagan via the distributor BELIEVE. The record continued their chart success, reaching #3 in Germany and further solidifying their status as pioneers in the fusion of folk traditions with contemporary sounds.In September 2025, FAUN will release their highly anticipated album „HEX“. This takes the listener on a musical journey into the world of witchcraft.

The album title “Hex” is derived from “Hexe” german: witch / ahd. ‘Hagazussa’ (= the one who walks between the worlds). So this twelfth studio album by FAUN is about witches, female healers and wise women. Far away from the cliché of the evil fairytale witch, the german ensemble wants to highlight the various aspects of female magic in different cultures and the legitimate question why we still fear the evil witches instead of the people who burned them.

One focus here is on the Germanic culture. In this sense, the song “Blot” is about the ritual sacrifices of the Vikings in their nature religion and the song “Alfar” is about the elven hills inhabited by spirits.
A second focus of this album is on Celtic and Anglo-Saxon sources. “Nimue”, for example, takes the listener back to the Arthurian legend and tells of Merlin and the sorceress Nimue, who imprisons him in a sacred tree for all eternity. “Lament” is based on a pre-Christian mourning song from the north of England, while “Ylfa Spere” is an Old English spell from the 11th century.
Thematically, but also musically, FAUN combine such early sources with more modern influences. For example, “Hare Spell” is based on a spell recorded by Isobel Gowdie during a witch trial in Scotland in 1662. With “Black Eyed Dog”, on the other hand, FAUN cover a song by singer & songwriter Nick Drake, who died in 1974. “Belladonna” takes up an Irish folk song, but combines it with cumbia and reggae rhythms as well as hard rock guitars.

As on their previous album “PAGAN”, FAUN skillfully combine medieval instruments on “HEX”, such as hurdy-gurdy, bagpipes, lute, bowl fiddle, harp and flute with modern synthesizers, beats and polyphonic vocals. The result is mystical soundscapes that transport the listener to the respective myths and ancient legends.

FAUN knows how to create catchy and at the same time virtuoso songs and do not shy away from any challenge. In this sense, FAUN collaborates with the dark sound cascades of a “Chelsea Wolfe” on “Nimue”. On “Vals”, on the other hand, the tonality and quarter tones of old Swedish folklore are brought back to life with the help of the two Swedish guest musicians Daniel Pettersson and Daniel Fredriksson, while on “Umay”, FAUN focus on an old Turkish folk song and skillfully set it to music with the Turkish singer Fatma Turgut.

Under the direction of Oliver Satyr (Magister Artium of Medieval Philology), the listener is taken on an entertaining musical journey into the female magic and pagan myths of our history with the help of carefully researched lyrics.

Just like the album “PAGAN”, which entered the German album charts at number 3, ‘HEX’ is also released on the band’s own label “Pagan Folk Records” with the help of the distributor “Believe”. Since 2023, however, FAUN have been signed to the management AISA (e.g. WARDRUNA, ENSLAVED) and booked by COBRA AGENCY (e.g. SLIPKNOT, SABATON), which has already enabled FAUN to achieve numerous highlights in their career since 2023, e.g. major tours in the USA.

Full of pride and self-confidence, FAUN are certain that they can add an extremely exciting chapter to this success story with “HEX”.

FAUN is one of the world’s leading bands in blending ancient sounds with modern music. Since their formation in 2001, they have released 11 studio albums and two DVDs, with multiple records reaching top positions in the German album charts—Pagan (#3), Midgard(#3), and Luna (#4). Their success has earned them three nominations for the Echo, Germany’s most prestigious music award, as well as platinum status for Von den Elben and gold status for Luna.

Their debut album, Zaubersprüche (2002), was followed by Licht (2003), Renaissance (2005), Totem (2007), Faun Acoustic – Buch der Balladen (2009), and Eden (2011). As their reputation grew through numerous performances at festivals, FAUN signed with Universal Music, releasing Von den Elben in 2012. The album’s success propelled them into mainstream recognition, reaching #7 on the German charts and earning platinum certification. It also secured top 10 positions in Austria (#9) and Switzerland (#5). Subsequent albums, Luna (2014) and Midgard(2016), continued this success, both charting in Germany’s top 5.

In 2015, FAUN participated in the German preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest. Though they did not qualify, their presence further expanded their reach.

With over 1000 concerts worldwide, FAUN continues to captivate audiences with their driving live performances. Their current touring programs range from the intimate FAUN BALLADENREISE  for theaters, concert halls  and seated romantic summer concerts to their high-energy, unseated festival shows to larger audiences.

On April 22, 2022, FAUN released their album Pagan via the distributor BELIEVE. The record continued their chart success, reaching #3 in Germany and further solidifying their status as pioneers in the fusion of folk traditions with contemporary sounds. For 2025 FAUN announced  their next album called Hex.

In summer 2025, FAUN will release their highly anticipated album „HEX“. This takes the listener on a musical journey into the world of witchcraft. With many medieval instruments, archaic beats, drums and multi-layered chants FAUN will create an outstanding event that will allow the audience to dream, dance and to experience the enchanted world of pagan myths.

With a new light show and stage design FAUN bring their new album „HEX“ on stage, as well as the greatest hits of their band history.

Line-up:
Oliver Satyr: Vocals, Irish Bouzouki, Moraharpa, Celtic harp, various Lutes
Laura Fella: Vocals, Framedrum
Adaya: Vocals, Bagpipes, Flutes, Pandora, Celtic harp
Stephan Groth: Vocals, Hurdy-gurdy, Flutes, Cittern
Niel Mitra: Sequencer, sampler, synthesizer.
Alex Schulz: Percussion, drums