"Emerging from the frostbitten, dark and brooding woods of Siberia, NYTT LAND ascends as one of the most captivating and haunting musical forces in folk music. On their new album, Ritual, out August 6 via Napalm Records, NYTT LAND effortlessly pulls listeners into a world of ancient percussive instrumentation and vocal tradition: eight songs on the seventh full-lengh studio album tell tales of gods and heroes, born centuries ago and preserved in traditions, expressed in a unique sonic experience that can best be described by the duo itself as Shamanic Dark Folk.
NYTT LAND is inspired by the sounds of Siberian nature, and records have included live field-recordings of raven calls and forest sounds. Thematically, their work echoes many stories from Norse mythology and historic texts such as the Poetic Edda. NYTT LAND’s ancient shamanic culture is palpable on songs like “U-Gra” – based on the legend of the Siberian native tribe known as Khanty. It tells the story of the guardian spirits of the tribe’s homeland as somber ritual chants at the start of the song ask the spirits to be kind to their people and help them retain their lands. An atmospheric, meditative journey accompanied by an enthralling percussive section accents the unmatched, unique throat singing layers of NYTT LAND vocalists Natasha “Baba Yaga” Pakhalenko and Anatoly “Shaman” Pakhalenko. “Svartravn” seamlessly continues this vibe while introducing melancholic string sections, telling the story of a warrior dying on the battlefield with a crow circling him, awaiting his coup de grace. The dying warrior tells the crow about his worthy life and the deeds that he performed, and that he is not afraid of death, asking the raven to take the news of his death to his family. Underlying themes on Ritual become apparent in NYTT LAND’s artistic entity, pulled together by mysterious, haunting visuals while still welcoming the listener into their spiritual world. Songs like “Dead Man’s Dance” and “Blood Of The North” showcase the Nordic folk-driven roots of NYTT LAND, while the shamanic duo takes the genre to new levels on “The Fires of Ragnarok” and title track “Ritual”. Ritual is a previously uncharted display of intense, dark folk music inspired by NYTT LAND’s unique, authentic and ancient Siberian culture. If bands like WARDRUNA, HEILUNG or RUNAHILD ensnare your senses, then you must prepare for this Ritual!"
