Already, on their debut album, HELGA weaved together a dark and enchanting assortment. Wrapped in Mist shifts from progressive, Ennio Morricone-inspired folk to abrasive black metal and booming post-rock. "Simply put, this is an incredibly strong debut from a very talented group of musicians" New Noise wrote in a 4-star review.
Today, the UK band are proud to announce that they've received another strong accolade. Their song "Burden" won the grand prize in the Rock category during the first session of this year's John Lennon Songwriting Contest.
"'Burden' is a song that was born out of friendship", HELGA says. "We never thought of it as something that could win a songwriting contest. We are utterly surprised, moved and honored to have won the grand prize. Thank you, JLSC, for believing in our music".
Their prize includes a Taylor AD17e acoustic-electric guitar and other recording gear. Next April, "Burden" will compete head-to-head with the Session II winner in an online vote to determine the overall winner for the Rock category.
Watch the video for "Burden".
"Burden" recounts a tale of relinquishment and its complexity. Spectral strings and imposing drums converge into a reassuring mélange of emotions, as vocalist Helga Gabriel recognizes having finally found her place in this world.
"'Burden' was the first track that was written for [Wrapped in Mist]", guitarist Cai Sumpton told Knotfest. "I remember hearing the crescendo to the song… I was so blown away by that. I thought the vocals from Helga were stunning and I knew that it was my job to do that section justice. Helga loves post rock stuff, I used to be in a post-rock band. I just knew that was my time to shine".
"It's inspired by me moving away from Sweden to the UK and that sort of melancholy that I felt moving away from home, away from the woods", Helga told Knotfest during the same interview. But also meeting Cai and Cameron [Gledhill], my bandmates, and the friendship that grew out of this whole thing. I really loved the post rock stuff that Cai and Cameron put into this. I was so happy about it".
Wrapped in Mist is now available on Season of Mist
Order
https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/HelgaWrappedInMist
Stream
https://orcd.co/wrappedinmistpresave
Lineup
Helga Gabriel - Vocals
Cai Sumption - Guitar
Cameron Gledhill - Guitar
Ryan Fairclough - Bass
Sami Javed - Drums
Recording
Guitars and vocals recorded by Tom Peters at Trapdoor Studios
Drums recorded by Bob Cooper at Chairworks Studios
Production
Produced and mixed by Luiz Felipe Netto
Mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege
Additional musicians
Damian Bolotin - Violin on "Skogen mumlar", "Vast and Wild" and "Wrapped in Mist".
Antonio Guerra - Grand piano on "Mountain Song" and "Vast and Wild".
Mafram do Maracanã - Percussion on "Skogen mumlar" and "Wrapped in Mist"
Bruno Migliari - Double bass on “Mountain Song”, “Skogen mumlar” and “Wrapped in Mist”
Luiz Felipe Netto - Acoustic guitar on "If Death Comes Now" & "Wrapped in Mist", as well as additional electric guitars, keyboards and string arrangements.
Ayran Nicodemo - Violin on "Mountain Song", "Skogen mumlar", "Vast and Wild" and "Wrapped in Mist"
Bruno Serroni - Cello on "Farväl" and "Vast and Wild"
Joe Zeitlin - Cello on "Farväl", "Mountain Song", "Skogen mumlar", "Vast and Wild" & "Wrapped in Mist"
Cover art by David Thiérrée
Album layout by Per Wiberg
Photos by Ester Segarra
Pre-save: https://orcd.co/wrappedinmistpresave
Pre-order: https://redirect.season-of-mist.com/HelgaWrappedInMist
Available formats:
CD Digibook
Digital Download
12" Vinyl Gatefold - Black
12" Coloured Vinyl Gatefold - Transparent Clear
12" Coloured Vinyl Gatefold - Black & Yellow "Sunburst"
Merchandise
Links
https://helgamusic.bandcamp.com
https://facebook.com/helgadalarna
https://instagram.com/forestchildhelga
Photo by Ester Segarra
