Lubo Skald is the name of the one-man Nordic folk project by Slovakian musician Ľubomír Haršány, as well as the title of his debut album.
A former member of the melodic metal band Odin’s Ravens, Ľubomír Haršány adopts the minimalistic, “skaldic”, style of which Wardruna‘s fourth album, Skald, is the most popular example. Indeed, the release feels like a live performance where we could watch him sing accompanied by his instrument of choice.
For the recording of the album, he used the lyre harp, the Irish bouzouki, Irish whistle and the djembe drum, some choices that are not so obvious when one think of music inspired by the Nordic culture and mythology, but that didn’t harm Lubo Skald’s work at all.
Speaking of mythology, you won’t be disappointed to find extensive references or verses directly paraphrased from the Poetic Edda, sung in Old Norse. This is the case of songs like Völuspá and Dauði Baldurs. However, Lubo also decided to record some of his compositions in English, which is the case with Hel and Ragnarök koma.
Overall, my favorite songs of the album are those where the musician let his voice flow more freely, intermingling more harmoniously with the melodies he created: Rúnatal, Dauði Baldurs, Ragnarök and Fáfnismal. I also very much enjoyed the instrumental Fimbulvetur, a track entirely and beautifully played on the Irish bouzouki.
It’s true that the album could have benefited from a better audio production. Though again, this is both Lubo Skald’s first album and it was recorded live-in-studio style, with the help of overdubbed guitars (Ragnarök) and synths (Valkyrja).
This is a good start for Haršány’s project. No doubt, with the experience obtained working on his debut, we can expect some more of his contributions to the Nordic folk scene.
Credits
- Instruments and vocals: Ľubomír Haršány
- Mastering, mixing and special effects: Matteo Kyselý
- Album cover: Karolína Kolláriková
- Recorded in Galanta and Sereď, 2020
See also: Illuriah releases its debut Nordic Folk album
Tracklist
1. Intro
2. Völuspá
3. Yggdrasil
4. Rúnatal
5. Börn Loka
6. Dauði Baldurs
7. Hel
8. Fimbulvetur
9. Ragnarök koma
10. Ragnarök
11. Valkyrja
12. Skírnismál
13. Fáfnismál
Links
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Playlists
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