The Norwegian band Gåte‘s 2021 piece Nord filled us with hope that a newish version of pagan anything finally reached our roster. And sure enough, their mix of modern Folk Rock and Metal, Pagan Folk, and too much Heilung hit a pretty good rating. Albeit at an elevated mixed-bag level. But it was a decidedly good one at that.
In the meantime, the RMR crew missed some of the action the band created. Well, unpaid reviewers with no money to spend and too much material cannot cover it all. Artfully forged alloy spews forth in abundance from many sources, and there are those telling us that metal is dead. Or something. But I digress.
Back to Gåte, they are now back with their new concoction Sigil. And behold, the piece’s a revelation. On Ulveham, the focus clearly lay on expressing the essence of folksy, somewhat pagan tunes through predominantly modern metal sounds all scrambled together. To the point that the RMR crew had visions of the commercial beast raising its ugly head a few times too many. Meaning, uncomfortably smooth Folk Rock and Metal carried the flag, whereas the true folk-laden pagan part often played second nyckelharpa.1 The aforementioned Nord, by contrast, sailed way closer to Sigil than the 2024 piece ever did.
But now, there’s a change in the air and a newfound earthy direction to explore. Suddenly, Sigil sounds like a wild mix somewhere in between Wardruna and Heilung, with modern-day rock and metal musings kinda trailing the traditional tunes like an afterthought. Now, that’s a somewhat brutal description, agreed, but put a pin in this role reversal of sorts. To drive that point home, Gåte started to use the aforementioned nyckelharpa and – more importantly – the Hardanger Fiddle that found pretty abundant use. That, on top of the usual culprits, such as the good ol’ hurdy-gurdy, mouth harp, and violin.
The record’s structure is pretty simple, though. Fashion the first two tracks so they serve as the leading horses of the charge. Then, hit the tracklist with your best, and let the rest fight it out on their merit. And truly so: Can opener Bergteken gets you a first taste of what awaits on this new piece. The delicious, highly rhythmic pagan folk opener2 weaves its way into more modern sounds, leading smoothly into the full band strumming away at full tilt. A masterful demonstration of how to save a neat yet still watery ditty from the abyss by slamming an exceedingly well-done progression right on top of it. Oskorsreia‘s probably closest to what we heard on Gåte‘s last record. And whilst not a bad track, it will surely never be the brightest spot on Sigil.
That said, I am totally unsurprised that Heilung’s Maria Franz was drawn to Sannsiger, the lead single, like a honey badger to a beehive. This is a modern-era Pagan Folk piece that laces delicate rhythms, archaic instruments, and tasty drum work with Franz’s guest vocals. But it is the inherent and truly archaic power that got our attention. A track that punches way above the band’s weight, and glory to them. After all, the piece already won a prize over at John Lennon’s odd fundraiser.3 The following track, Nokon, sports a similar kind of power with an extremely sturdy rhythm section. But it is nowhere near the visceral effect its predecessor had on the folks over at the Review Desk.
The rest of the pack o’ tracks trundles somewhat behind the extremely powerful broad lines outlined by the first half of the record. Meaning, Sigil makes a strong paganized showing on the first few tracks, and then falls back into the same modern-ish track style Ulveham extensively sported. A section containing truly boring pieces such as Strandvaskar and Songen, the only two negatives on the album. Mi Jord turned into this commercial yet most accessible track on this whole record. The song sports a mix of Fabienne Erni and a weak-tea version of Myrkur when she’s off steroids.
Ultimately, Sigil is yet again a mixed bag. Methinks that Gåte sleepwalked themselves into the right direction and then lost their way. Meaning, slam the focus straight onto the pagan and archaic roots of their music using modern-day tools as a catalyst to knock their style up a few notches. Albeit that all those fine ideas started lacking once the second half took off and many of Ulveham‘s impurities reappeared. If the act manages to correct the fire and focus on that initial push, we should expect to see material at crackerjack levels. With that in mind, the RMR crew cannot wait to hear more of them.
Hopefully soon.
Record Rating: 7/10 | Label: Season of Mist | Web: Official Band Site
Release Date: 25 September 2026