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
More praise for HELGA
“HELGA has a bright future ahead of them…fans of eclectic music that lurks around the edges of black and post-metal should take note” – Angry Metal Guy
“It is even more remarkable that the utterly enchanting Wrapped in Mist is a debut record” – Everything is Noise
“An evocative and serene experience that should speak to one and all alike” – Distorted Sound
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