Official press release:
Fornhem are now releasing the video single “Uþarba Spa”. The track is taken from the Swedish black metal trio’s forthcoming album Stämman från Berget (The Voice from the Mountain), which is slated for release on November 5, 2021 via Trollmusic. Cover art, tracklist, and further details of this harsh full-length can be viewed below. Pre-orders are available at this link.
The title “Uþarba Spa” derives from a partial transcript of the inscription on the famously large runestone of Björketorp, Sweden. This stunning 4 metre high stone towers over a pre-Viking age grave-field in unique setting aligned with other stones that is thought to form a consecrated area. The debated proto-Norse inscription written in a late version of the Elder Futhark uses the Galdralag metre supposedly associated with Germanic spells. “Uþarba Spa” probably translates as “I foretell perdition”.
Drummer, vocalist, and lyricist Vafthrudner explains:
“The runic inscription on the Björketorp stone constitutes a curse or a threat, which makes it quite unique among this type of monument in Sweden and elsewhere. My lyrics are written from the perspective of one of the deceased, buried close to the stone, whose spirit warns us mortals not to disturb the slumber of the dead. The title and the lyrics are also a tribute to our former project, Fördärv, which in English means something like ‘ruin’ or ‘devastation’. The word literally appears in these lyrics: ‘Jag spår fördärv’, which translates as ‘I predict ruin’. The past is alive!”
Fornhem are living proof that the dark underground in Norrköping at the centre of Sweden’s historic province of Östergötland, which has spawned such ground-breaking acts as Marduk and Ofermod, is still fertile.
With Stämman från Berget Fornhem skillfully add a new facet to Nordic black metal that will appeal to both traditionalists looking for a dark emotional ride as well as those searching for a fresh approach and lyrical intelligence.
Stämman från Berget track listing:
- “Den Längsta Dagen”
- “Uþarba Spa”
- “Förlist”
- “Stämman från Berget”
- “Untergang”
Fornhem is:
Vafthrudner – drums, vocals
Solbane – guitar, bass
Thuleman – guitar, bass