Vanaheim release first single & video 'De Overtocht' • GRIMM Gent

Vanaheim, an international storytelling caravan, has its roots in the land of the far sight, namely the Netherlands, in the city of Tilburg. Since their founding in 2015, the quintet has been on an everlasting journey through foreign lands, to spread folktales of their own.

Today, Vanaheim release their first single and video for the song “De Overtocht”.

“”De Overtocht” (English: The Crossing) tells the story of the moment someone loses themselves: physically, mentally, or emotionally, and awakens in a mist, a kind of purgatory between life and death. The song follows an inner journey through fear, loneliness, and regret, where the longing for love and company collides with self imposed isolation born from anxiety. Within the realm of shadows comes the confrontation: this is not how I want to fade away. What begins as panic slowly turns into clarity, and ultimately into a renewed hunger for life. It is a story about being trapped, breaking free, and realizing that life, despite all your fears, is more beautiful than you ever imagined. The tragedy is finding beauty in life at the very moment you learn you no longer belong to it, with a quiet yet powerful message: open your eyes, cherish what you have, be kind to those around you, and live your dreams before the light fades”, comments the band and adds: “With this second album, we started from nothing again. At the start, you need a spark, a kind of kickstarter song that makes you want to keep writing in the same feeling, style and direction. “De Overtocht” was that spark, which is why it became the first track we started with and the one that ultimately shaped the direction of the entire album.”

Already, since the first two self-released outputs, an EP in 2017 (“The House Spirit”) and an LP in 2022 (“Een Verloren Verhaal”), all eyes and ears of the scene were directed on Vanaheim. Counting as the candidate for bringing back the golden era of folk metal and for returning the genre to the glory that it once had. “Een Verloren Verhaal” struck the scene like a meteor and was often highlighted by the metal press as album of the year 2022.

2023 to 2025, the hype around the band lifted them onto stages of major festivals in Europe, like Graspop Metal Meeting (BE), Wacken Open Air (DE), Wave Gotik Treffen (DE), Milagre Metaleiro (PT) and enabled them to widen their audience while touring with genre veterans like Manntra, Heidevolk, Ensiferum and playing support shows for Alestorm and Equilibrium.

Vanaheim paved their way into the heart of the scene and are ready to take the next big step. In the continuation of their success, the band signed a record deal with Fireflash Records, teamed up with MasterMoldMusic as their management team and found a trustful partner in RTN Touring for booking endeavors.

In September 2026, Vanaheim will release their highly anticipated follow-up concept album, which carries the name “Roede voor de Borst” together with a new band design and lyrics that tell a tragic, emotional but engaging story. The new album features top musicians like Coen Janssen of Epica and Nils Fischer of Eluveitie, who enhanced the band’s sound with their performances on all new tracks. The Dutch luminary of all things symphonic and melodic metal, aka Joost van den Broek produced, recorded and mixed the album before it was mastered by Finnish mastering legend Mika Jussila in Helsinki.

“Roede voor de Borst” involves the listener in an immersive storyline about regrets, despair, hope and salvation. A musical journey full of surprises coated by a Dutch 19th century setting that pulls you deep into a book of untold legends. The Dutch vocals award these songs with an emotional honesty which leads every sung word directly under your skin. With a rousing mix of symphonic heaviness, elegant folk-inspired melodies and grounding death metal riffs, Roede voor de Borst represents the next level of Vanaheim and a new level of epic folk metal.