Album Review: Gåte – Sigil (Season of Mist)

Norwegian folk rock band Gåte will release their sixth studio album, Sigil, on 25th September via Season of Mist.

Formed in the early 2000s, Gåte quickly established themselves as one of Norway’s most distinctive bands by combining Nordic folk traditions with modern rock. Their debut album, Jygri, reached number one on the Norwegian Albums chart in 2002 and earned them the Spellemann Award for Best Newcomer. After a twelve-year hiatus, the band returned with 2017’s Svevn and have continued to explore the meeting point between traditional music and contemporary sounds, including representing Norway at the 2024 Eurovision Song Contest. Now signed to Season of Mist, Sigil sees Gåte continue to rework ancient stories and folk traditions into something modern, with ten tracks that bring together instruments including hardanger fiddle, nyckelharpa and hurdy-gurdy alongside electronics, heavy guitar and the distinctive vocals of Gunnhild Sundli.

Speaking about their style, the band state:

“Our music comes from a place where tradition is not something fixed, but something alive. We draw from old sources because they still speak to us, and because they allow us to express something honest and human today.”

Gåte is made up of 5 members all bringing a wealth of musical talent to the band. Gunnhild Sundli is on vocals while guitarist Magnus Børmark also adds nyckelharpa, programming and percussion. As do all members, bassist Mats Paulsen adds backing vocals while drummer Jon Even Schärer also brings programming and mouth harp. Last but not least is Arent Todal adding classical instruments such as the hardanger fiddle, nyckelharpa and violin.

Recorded at MagnuStudio and Øra Studio, Sigil was produced by Kristian Fanavoll Tvedt and Magnus Børmark, with mixing and mastering handled by Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios. It comes with artwork by Martine Solstad Larsen (Sigil Artist) and Martin Kvamme (Cover Art and Design).

If the 5 members and the massive amount of instruments they bring weren’t enough, Sigil also comes with plenty of guest musician contributions. We have Kristian Fanavoll Tvedt adding synths, programming, sounds, guitar and backing vocals and Maria Franz of Heilung providing guest vocals on Sannsiger. Then there is  Olav Luksengård Mjelva adding Hardanger fiddle to Bergteken, Oskorsreia, Strandvaskar, Songen and Aude, John Stenersen bringing hurdy-gurdy to Mi Jord. Also, Knut Anders Vestad and Marit Aspås contributing concert grand piano and cello respectively to Jostedalsrypa, and Sylvelin Sundli adding upright piano to Bòd frå djupet.

If you take nothing else from that, know that it indicates a serious amount of time and effort put in by Gåte to craft Sigil perfectly. Lets check it out.

I’m not familiar with Gåte, I don’t think, but I go into Sigil with a good idea of what I will hear from seeing both the genre and the mix of artists and instruments in use. The opening song, Bergteken, reinforces that offering a silky smooth opener with beautiful vocals, sung in Norwegian over a bed of gentle drums and melodies, adding classical and traditional instruments to the atmosphere. As the song progresses, the music grows until reaching epic proportions while maintaining the dreamy beauty, with a hint of chaos as the song reaches its conclusion.

Oskorsreia has a surprisingly heavy start, with the drums and guitars leading the way with some hard-hitting riffs and beats. The many different styles and skills within the band mean we never stay in a style for long, so the heaviness fades and the smooth singing and subtle instrumentation take over. The heaviness then reappears like waves crashing upon the shore to emphasise sections of the song. I really enjoy the traditional instruments and feel well bedded in atmospherically, swaying and enjoying the vocals and harmonising backing as well, while the blasts of heaviness add power and depth.

Sannsiger has a touch of menace to it, with a sinister atmosphere set early in the song. It conjures up images of dense forests at night, with mist swirling around. Visibility is low, noises keep you on edge, and folk chants and singing can be heard growing in the background. It’s very good, a song I found myself closing my eyes to so I could really absorb everything happening vocally and instrumentally within the very layered track.

Nokon sees Gåte keep atmosphere at the forefront of everything they do, continuing on the slightly menacing, very mystical vibe of Sannsiger in a mostly instrumental track other than whispered chants over rhythmic beats. Tribal dances around a blazing fire spring to mind this time, and I love how strong this imagery is projected. I also appreciate the pace changes and creative tweaks as we work through Sigil, making it feel partly like a journey, like each track is unique, but all still clearly from a single body of work.

Bòd frå djupet brings the halfway point on Sigil and is another stunning track with amazing vocals, strong drums and gorgeous melodies. The chorus is stunning, with the guitars and piano working wonderfully together, all brought together by Gunnhild Sundli’s angelic vocals. A welcome guitar solo adds another layer here as well, like we didn’t have enough to get our teeth into already.

Strandvaskar is one of the early singles, so I have heard this one and it’s unsurprisingly another superbly atmospheric and authentic-sounding song. Tapping drums and beautiful vocals lead us through this song, with different beats and sounds filling up the space and the background. Nice blasts of heavier drumming and electric guitars add moments of danger and threat to the otherwise soothing and hypnotic sounds.

Songen strips us back to an intro made up mainly of gentle bass, violin and clean vocals. It’s pretty, it’s hypnotic and very easy to listen to and get lost in. More atmospherics join as the song grows, with the violins taking a more prominent role in this soft and smooth song.

Aude is another well-executed track combining all those Gåte skills nicely, with plenty of choir vocals, plenty of smooth and silky lead vocals and, of course, many different layers of instruments. I really like the backing lines here as well. They offset the lead vocals nicely and cleverly, while the band bring some more heaviness in with some big riffs and drums adding some variety to the song, and to Sigil, making sure each song has a new reason to be engaging and remembered.

Mi Jord is our penultimate track and though I have said it a lot already, I have to once again point out the gorgeous vocals here. What a talent! I really like this song, it has a nice flow to it and some really cool lead guitars. It’s not heavy, not in the sense of what I am used to, but it has power and depth to it, bringing an emotional weight while maintaining the strong sense of authenticity and atmosphere.

Sigil closes out with Jostedalsrypa, a calming and emotional song with just vocals and violin showcasing the range of talent and creativity in Gåte, especially in terms of song writing and vocals. It’s very pretty and calming, while feeling quite sad, but also feels appropriately like closure to Sigil.

Sigil is a very beautiful, authentic, intelligent and absorbing album. Gåte are clearly a talented and creative band, and the way they bring together traditional instruments, modern sounds, different vocal styles and heavier moments is very impressive. There is a lot going on across these ten tracks, but it never feels like they are throwing ideas in just for the sake of it. Each song has something different to offer while still feeling like part of the same cohesive album.

The metal fan in me can’t help but keep hoping for that sudden blast of energy and heaviness but that’s my personal taste. The softer and more atmospheric approach is clearly a big part of what makes Gåte and Sigil so good. It’s a really well-written, creative and beautifully performed album that I found myself happily lost in.

You can Pre-save and/or Pre-order Sigil from this link – Sigil Link Tree

Track List:

1 – Bergteken

2 – Oskorsreia

3 – Sannsiger

4 – Nokon

5 – Bod Fra Djupet

6 – Strandvaskar

7 – Songen0

8 – Aude

9 – Mi Jord

10 – Jostedalsrypa

Gåte Links