Written By Sabbatha Ashvale
This Eihwar interview explores Hugrheim, trance states, and the ritual – driven sound that defines their evolving identity.
There are nine worlds in Norse mythology, suspended in the branches of Yggdrasil.
Yggdrasil holds them all in place – gods, giants, the dead, and everything in between.
Eihwar operate in the tenth.
Hugrheim. The unseen world of thought, spirit, and consciousness. A place where identities loosen, bodies feel temporary, and the line between self and something other starts to blur. Not imagined. Not symbolic. Something closer to experienced.
That might sound like mythology. Or performance art. But what Eihwar create doesn’t behave like music in the traditional sense.
It doesn’t sit at a distance or wait to be understood. It repeats, builds, presses – until it stops feeling like something you’re listening to and starts feeling like something ancient moving through you.
A rhythm you don’t fully control. A voice that doesn’t quite ask permission.
A state that feels good… right up until you realize you’ve stopped resisting it.
It comes through pounding, techno-driven rhythms, trance vocals, and a kind of ecstatic chaos that feels closer to possession than performance. Something between ritual and rave. Between memory and modern machinery.
At the center of it is Asrunn. Not just speaking as an artist, but as something that claims to exist through one. Not metaphorically. The kind of presence that doesn’t argue, doesn’t explain – just is, whether you’re comfortable with it or not.
In this Eihwar interview, Asrunn speaks from within Hugrheim rather than about it.
And somewhere in that process, the interview stopped feeling like a conversation. It became something you step into… and don’t fully step out of the same.
Whether you hear that as metaphor, manifestation, or something stranger is up to you.
We didn’t try to pin it down.
We stepped into it.
Eihwar Interview Hugrheim: Entering the Ritual State
Metal Lair: Hi Asrunn, Thank you for taking the time to do this, especially in the middle of such a busy press cycle.
Asrunn: Thank you very much for your interest and your questions!
Metal Lair:What you’re creating with Eihwar feels very alive, something that moves through sound, visuals, and the body all at once. I wanted to approach this from that perspective, and focus more on the experience of creating and inhabiting it rather than revisiting the usual ground.
Asrunn: Great! Lezgo!
Metal Lair: When your work comes from instinct and trance, is there ever a fear that the connection could suddenly go quiet?
What helps you trust that it will return?
Asrunn: Hahaha, by Odin, you’ve just hit the nail on the head of my human host’s panic!
When she had to start thinking about creating the second album, she was completely anxious about losing this connection.
She kept thinking, “But… what if it stops working? What if I can’t hear anymore? What am I going to do?!” And, of course, it worked, since I’m here, I’m always here.
There are just moments when I leave her alone for a bit because cohabiting with an entity from another world can be tiring in the long run, but as soon as I have to intervene and do my job through her, BAM, I jump in and it all flows smoothly 🙂
Metal Lair: Has Eihwar changed the way you think about technique, control, or what makes something feel truly alive as an artist?
Asrunn: Since I’d never made music before this incarnation, this is more of a question for my human host, so I’ll (exceptionally) let her answer:
Eihwar completely changed my approach to music. Before, I was a perfectionist, and for me, singing only had value if it was complex and technically demonstrative.
With Asrunn’s arrival in my life, which forced me to let go because I was no longer in control – while being aware of no longer being in control (yes, it’s a REALLY strange experience.)
I had to learn that music and singing are, above all, a flow of energy and emotions meant to cleanse something within us and, ultimately, try to evoke the same thing in the listener.
It doesn’t require complexity or demonstrativeness. It requires sincerity, purity, and truth.
Metal Lair: There’s a strong sense of embodiment and presence in what you do through movement and physical expression.
How intentional is that side of your performance, and what does it allow you to communicate that words or sound alone can’t?
Asrunn: Here on Midgard, unlike in Hugrheim where we are only spirits, everything is channeled through the body.
You are incarnate! How wonderful! How lucky! The body is a blessing to be honored and used in all its splendor!
Movement should be the solution to many things: Are you joyful? Dance your joy! Are you sad? Dance your sorrow! Are you angry? Dance your wrath! Are you in pain? Dance your pain!
Movement is the only way to destroy congestion and stiffness, both in the body and the mind.
When I’m on stage, I can’t help but let my body express my emotions. It’s an integral part of the process; it’s automatic.
And sometimes it plays tricks on me because I forget I have to sing afterward, haha! And singing well while catching your breath is quite a feat XD
Metal Lair: You speak about rigidity almost like an enemy.
What does that look like in everyday life, before it ever becomes music?
Asrunn: There are so many opportunities! It’s everywhere, all the time. It’s waiting for the slightest chance to manifest itself.
First and foremost, in our principles, our certainties. What could be more rigid than a certainty? The kind that prevents you from being aware of another’s opinion, and even more seriously, of their freedom.
Have you noticed how connected the rigidity of the body and mind are?
When something we hear or see clashes with our values or what we consider “right” (and what exactly is right, anyway?), poof, our body tenses up, our energy flows become congested, we breathe less easily.
It’s a plague, this lack of flexibility, both of mind and body, which hinders human happiness.
Metal Lair: Your performances demand a lot of stamina, force, repetition and recovery.
What has this project taught you about your body and its limits?
Asrunn: That this body I chose is already pretty worn out for its age, haha! Living in a body on Midgard is very different from our “physical” forms in Hugrheim.
And it’s wonderful, like I said, to be able to run, to feel your weight on the ground, to make love, to eat when you’re hungry. But you also feel physical pain.
For example, the morning after a show, I suddenly remember I have a back… a lot more than I probably should!
Metal Lair: Was it difficult to let go of the idea that art needs to be technical or “impressive” to have value or did that shift feel freeing right away?
Asrunn: I think I’ve done a lot of good for my human host. I’ve been watching her for so long, waiting for the moment she’d be ready for me to manifest.
I saw her torment herself with her own certainties, her self-worth crushed under relentless perfectionism.
What a waste of time. She could have enjoyed things so much more instead of constantly tying herself in knots.
But letting go wasn’t an easy process for her. Then again, I didn’t exactly give her a choice. So seeing this project bring her recognition at a time when everything seemed to be slipping away… I’ll admit, it was rough for her. Painful, even.
But I’m glad to see that this coexistence is making us both grow, and evolve.
Metal Lair: You shape the visual identity of Eihwar as much as the sound.
When you create imagery for this world, are you translating the music or revealing something it can’t express on its own?
Asrunn: They are indeed two different, complementary arts. One is meant to be lived, to be shared in communion with others; the other is a moment of meditation and catharsis that no longer belongs to us once it’s released into the world. I value both equally.
Mark and I are also very happy to be able to express ourselves through different artistic media. It makes our work feel complete and coherent, aligned with what we want to convey.
Metal Lair: You’ve described transmuting anger into something almost joyful and healing.
What changed that energy from something heavy into something powerful?
Asrunn: I live with a deep-rooted anger, not a passing one. It’s with me every day.
My blood feels like lava that could burn the whole world down at the slightest frustration.
It’s a torment, but it’s also a powerful source for transformation.
For me, in this incarnation, that outlet is Art. By far the most effective of all the paths I’ve tried on Midgard.
Dancing, singing, painting, drawing, I take this heavy, violent raw material and turn it into an alchemical transmutation toward Light.
Sometimes, on stage, a few links snap. Some live photos speak for themselves, haha.
Metal Lair: You and Mark seem to operate with an unusual level of trust and instinct.
What does that connection allow you to risk artistically that you might never risk alone?
Asrunn: I won’t speak for Mark, only for myself. I’m here because I have something to do.
I serve the Beings of Light, bringing their energies of joy, healing, care, and love to humans on Midgard. Especially during concerts.
There’s no risk to take. I just listen, receive, and transmit. A showerhead doesn’t take risks when it delivers water! I’m the same.
I’m connected to them. That’s how it expresses itself. Everything else is just questions for my human host’s tortured mind.
Metal Lair: There’s a real sense of freedom in what you do.
What has this project allowed you to reclaim in yourself?
Asrunn: To be honest, I’m not reclaiming anything. I’m simply experiencing life as a musician on Midgard. And it’s joyful. Much more so than being a warrior in the Viking age, even if I carry powerful memories of that time.
Here, in 2026, in France, life is comfortable, easy, and I get to do something incredibly cool.
I just want to enjoy it as much as possible, because a human life passes in the blink of an eye, and I never know what the next incarnation will be.
Metal Lair: There’s a difference between being watched and being witnessed.
When you’re on stage, which one do you feel from a crowd?
Asrunn: I don’t think about that at all when I’m on stage. I’m with the people. I’m there for them, and to do my job (remember the showerhead, all that).
I don’t care about being seen, I just want people to leave with a feeling, whatever it may be.
Metal Lair: For someone discovering Eihwar for the first time, what do you hope reaches them first, the body, the imagination, or the spirit?
Asrunn: All three, of course. The order doesn’t really matter to me 🙂
Metal Lair: Thank you for taking the time to do this. There’s something powerful and beautiful in what you’ve created with Eihwar, it lingers with beauty and intensity that really stays with you.
Asrunn: Thanks so much for your enthusiasm and really interesting questions!
HUGRHEIM is out now.
No explanation. Just experience it.
Enter here ➡️ Season of Mist
Somewhere between the questions and the answers, the lines blur.
What sounds like metaphor starts feeling a little too precise and performance becomes immersive – unsettling in its lucidity
Trying to pin down what Eihwar are doing misses the point entirely. It’s not meant to sit still long enough to be dissected. It’s meant to be felt, physically, instinctively, sometimes uncomfortably.
Asrunn doesn’t offer answers so much as openings. And what you do with that is up to you.
Just don’t expect it to leave you exactly the same.
Track Listing:
1.Nauðiz
2.Freyja’s Calling
3.Ein
4.Skuggaríki
5.Hugrheim
6.Ljósgarðr
7.Heill Óðinn
8.The Lake of the Dead
9.Omenotharena (Warrior’s Training)
10.Berserkr (Tim’s Memorial Version)
LINE-UP:
Asrunn : Vocals, Shamanic Drums
Mark : Vocals, War Drums, Folk Guitar, Tagelharpa, Percussion & Programming
Get tickets for Eihwar’s 2026 U.S. Nordic Ritual Nights Tour at https://www.eihwar.com/
Eihwar 2026 U.S. Nordic Ritual Nights Tour
August 28 – New York, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg [TICKETS]
August 29 – Boston, MA @ The Sinclair [TICKETS]
August 30 – Washington, DC @ The Recher [TICKETS]
September 1 – Charlotte, NC @ Amos’ Southend [TICKETS]
September 2 – Athens, GA @ Georgia Theatre [TICKETS]
September 4 – Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall [TICKETS]
September 5 – Dallas, TX @ The Studio at The Bomb Factory [TICKETS]
September 7 – Tempe, AZ @ The Marquee [TICKETS]
September 8 – Los Angeles, CA @ El Rey Theatre [TICKETS]
September 9 – San Francisco, CA @ Great American Music Hall [TICKETS]
September 11 – Portland, OR @ Wonder Ballroom [TICKETS]
September 12 – Seattle, WA @ Neumos [TICKETS]
September 14 – Salt Lake City, UT @ The Complex [TICKETS]
September 16 – Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater [TICKETS]
September 18 – St. Louis, MO @ The Hawthorn [TICKETS]
September 19 – Columbus, OH @ A&R Bar [TICKETS]
September 20 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts [TICKETS]
Eihwar Pagan Folk Nights European Headline Tour 2026
with special guest Mira Ceti
April 11 – Lichtenfels, Germany @ Ragnarök Festival
April 12 – Budapest, Hungary @ Dürer Kert ➔ Venue Upgrade, Selling Fast
April 14 – Vienna, Austria @ Szene ➔ Selling Fast
April 15 – Ljubljana, Slovenia @ Kavarna Cukrarna ➔ Sold Out
April 16 – Milan, Italy @ Legend Club
April 17 – Mulhouse, France @ Le Noumatrouff ➔ Sold Out
April 18 – Brussels, Belgium @ La Source ➔ Sold Out
EIHWAR ONLINE:
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sabbatha Ashvale is Metal Lair’s resident wildfire in eyeliner. A music journalist and storyteller who writes like she’s swinging a torch through the catacombs of heavy music. She’s equal parts historian and shit-stirrer. Her work focuses on artistry, history, and the often overlooked creators who define metal’s evolving future. She brings depth, grit, and a razor sharp perspective to every piece she writes.
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