Faun has been a frequent ‘guest’ of this zine over the years. The RMR crew got to know them once Von Den Elben took some more mainstream undercurrents by storm. The record was a revelation, unlike the forced Wardruna copycat feel that their previous pieces always induced. This drew a total shitstorm of ire from their hardcore fans and led the band to start pulling back from their newfound freedom after a while. Fast forward to Pagan of 2022, Faun‘s fare started to center yet again in the more esoteric form of Pagan Folk. It was interesting to see how they tried to walk that tightrope of woozy and more mainstream-centered material. And that saddled them with a mixed bag of sorts, which was a pity.
And despite Pagan‘s shortcomings, I frankly find it refreshing how Faun evolved since they seriously switched to their vanity label, Pagan Folk Records. A measured shift back to the roots, combined with some strong experimentation ending in a cooperation with the folk metallists of Eluveitie1 in Gwydion.
And now Faun are back with Hex. A record that finds long-time drum maestro Rüdiger Maul missing in action and valiantly replaced by one Alexander Schulz. The moniker of the piece is a short form of ‘Hexe’, which stands for witch2 in German. According to the band, the theme of the album is to highlight the mystique behind the millennium-long myth of all forms of witchery, the gentle women behind all sorts of stories. An earthly take of the Feminine Divine, if you will, but starkly away from the medieval-driven burn-them-all-at-the-stake takes, such as this one.
This new record showcases pretty typical Faun fare. An excursion into its very own mainstream, away from the Santiano-esque shenanigans3 of times past. The aforementioned experimentation and – yes – exuberance went out the door as well and were replaced by a more – solemn style. And this adds considerable heaviness to Hex‘s overall delivery. Meaning, you won’t find any fresh and lighthearted tunes such as Midgard‘s Federkleid anymore. An undercurrent we detected since Märchen & Mythen hit back in 2019, following the arrival of Laura Fella and the departure of Fiona Frewert4 shortly after this specific record hit the airwaves.
Belladonna gets you a typical Faun-ish folk tune, full of pleasant vibrations, outstandingly integrated vocals, and a pretty lusty pace with the full band firing on all pistons. Albeit, I’m still looking for those – and I quote “…reggae rhythms as well as hard rock guitars.” Reading this on the promo sheet, one would have thought they talk about another German band, Scorpions, where both can be had.5 The RMR crew loved the quiet emotive strength of Lament. This one’s based on a pre-Christian mourning song, I am told.
Yet, the much-hyped Nimue fell straight through the cracks. Hex doesn’t contain that many negatives. But this is one of them. Written in cooperation with Chelsea Wolfe, it nonetheless displays a tune that is as tepid as it is predictable. Besides, no Chelsea is to be found on the video in the cave. Apparently, she was busy or something. This track, together with the terrible rendition of Black Eyed Dog, were the only two lackluster tracks on this record.
And we kinda said it before. Hex sports a pretty hefty return to trve Pagan and early Medieval Folk. This comes complete with an abundant use of dead languages and their adventurous intonations. And Faun do that by propping their melodies up against an almost hypnotic and powerful rhythmic midsection. To the point that this sometimes feels like some sort of workshop. Stomping rhythms sounding as if the mad outdoors dude from Heilung was hitting the drums out back. But joking apart, Faun created a few outstanding tracks. To the point that this feels like being in the middle of a medieval fair. Blot, the outstanding Vals, or – again – the faster-paced Ylfa Spere. Those songs exude true mastery of a band that solidly came into its own.
Zauberin came as the one surprise of the piece. Stephan Groth leads into the song with – again – a typical Faun-esque ditty. It’s a pity that he doesn’t get more airtime. His singing voice is perfectly balanced. And what at first sounded like some dime-a-dozen Faun Folk Rock piece took on some Wardruna-esque airs by 2:50 with some atmospherics and a monologue in an archaic language.
Ultimately, Hex ain’t that far removed from Pagan. Same as its predecessor, it still is a mixed bag of sorts. Yet, Faun came more into its own with sturdy home-grown fare, typical to the band. This combines with equally rock-solid trve Pagan Folk pieces that are powerful and convincing. Compare that to their much earlier work and you’ll see the difference. The needless meandering clearly gave way to powerful rhythms full of flutes, hurdy-gurdy, pipes, and drums. This, together with astute vocals, often transports you to fairy places, to some medieval marketplace where pedlars scream and you dance to the tune of those infamous wandering musicians and bards.
There is a newfound focus in Faun‘s tune and a healthy swagger in their step. And that’s a good thing. Hex worked its magick, it seems.
Record Rating: 8/10 | Label: Pagan Folk Records | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 5 September 2025