release date: 13.06.2025 on Hubro Records
In the night and darkness, Hekate reigns. Hekate (Hecate) was the goddess of magic, witchcraft, the night, moon, ghosts and necromancy. Composed of three bodies, each with their own distinct powers, she guards the moon, crossroads, and holds the key to the portal between worlds. Therefore, made up of the three female voices, the young Norwegian Trio addresses their art to the right patron from the beginning.
The vocal trio HEKATE—Malin Alander, Silje Risdal Liahagen, and Synnøve Brøndbo Plassen—opens the door to a new musical realm where ancient power meets modern club energy.
All three are acclaimed solo artists on the Norwegian music scene, and together they have quickly established themselves as a unique force in contemporary Norwegian folk music. With performances at Tuvas Blodklubb, Motvindfestivalen, Celtic Connections, and Folkelarm, Hekate has captivated audiences with raw, intense kveding(traditional vocal style) and a commanding presence that invites both deep listening and ecstatic dancing.
Slåttetralling, a traditional form of Norwegian vocal dance tune improvisation, has a long history in Norway. After many years as a lesser-known part of the folk tradition, it has seen a renaissance in recent decades. The album features slåttetralling from various regions across the country, with improvisation as a central element. The trio’s voices—distinct yet complementary—create a dynamic soundscape with a broad tonal palette.
HEKATE emerged from a desire to bring slåttetralling into the spotlight and a clear vision of song as the very backbone of the dancefloor. With the aim of generating euphoria for both dancers and listeners, they’ve crafted a universe fueled by rhythmic interplay and intense energy.
Drawing from the powerful, feminine energy historically tied to slåttetralling and the strong bond that arises in unison singing, HEKATE brews a potent witches’ potion of uncompromising kveding in a club setting. They deliver powerful, unapologetic traditional singing in a modern context—a fierce sonic spell for both dancefloors and deeply listening souls. With two singles ahead, harolding Adam uti Paradis + Nordavinden respectively released two and one months back, here comes their trio debut recording: Evigheten Forestår.
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artist : HEKATE
album : Evigheten Forestår
release date : 13th June 2025
label: Heilo
formats: CD / LP / DL
catalogue number: HCD7427 / HO7427
Line Up:
Malin Alander, Silje Risdal Liahagen, and Synnøve Brøndbo Plassen – voices
Tracklist:
1 Adam uti paradis 03:36
2 Pål Eilevstøl 05:17
3 Einarvollsgråen 04:29
4 Synnafjellet 06:35
5 Nestgarden 01:37
6 Samulinespringar 05:22
7 Nordavinden 04:26
8 Den Lange Natt 03:46
Info:
1 Adam uti paradis
Adam uti paradis,
Slakta og åt opp ein halvroten gris
Kjøtet det åt han opp og pylsene gav han bort
Føtane blei ikkje te noke stort
Adam in paradise slaughtered and ate a half-rotten pig. He ate the meat and gave away the sausages. The feet never became anything much.
…… Reinlender from Agder in Southern Norway, as performed by Tom-Willy Rustad and Johanne Flottorp.
2 Pål Eilevstøl
Springar from Hallingdal, as performed by Levor Lå (1906-1972). The tune is named after Pål Eilevstøl, who was a soldier and dancer
3 Einarvollsgråen
A traditional waltz that we learned from a recording of the trio Hått. The source of the tune is Steingrim Haukjem (1897-1968) from Veggli in Numedal
4 Synnafjellet This is an improvisation over a springleik from Folldall. Many of the old fiddlers in the village had this tune in their repertoire, and the most known source is Skredder-Iver (1839-1917)
5 Nestgarden
This traditional waltz was sung and played on the fiddle by Mikael Plassen (1902-1996) from Krokhaung in Folldal.
6 Samulinespringar
Samuline Seljeseth (1804-1872) was a legendary fiddle player from Hornindal in Nordfjord. This tune is a springar that she had in her repertoire. It is named after Samuline, and we learned it from Unni Løvlid from Hornindal.
7 Nordavinden
Nordavinden, or “The Northern Wind”, is a springleik from Gudbrandsdalen as played by Olav L. Holø (1877-1964). The tune was made by the legendary fiddler Fel-Jakup (1821-1876)
8 Den Lange Natt
This is an improvisation over a small fragment from a dance tune. We also use a verse from the psalm “Afften Psalme” (Evening psalm). written by Dorothe Engelbretsdatter (1634-1716). The psalm was first published in her collection “Siælens Sang-Offer” (The Soul’s Song Sacrifice) in 1678.
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Slåttetralling [Slått = melody/air / tralle = hum, sing]
Slåttetralling, slåttetulling, låttehulling, kjaftelåting and short forms such as tralling, tulling, hulling and traillátingare names for performing a melody vocally.
It is a separate genre within vocal folk music that mainly consists of slåttetrall [vocal melody], possibly in combination with slåtterim [rhyme]. The base of the tralling is linguistically meaningless words, for example «… tra-la-la-la-la-la», «… si-da-du-da då …», «… hulli-hulli-hull …», «a-la-ål-la-lå-la», performed in a peculiar singing technique. The person who tralls tries more or less consciously to bring out the sound of the Hardanger fiddle or other traditional instruments. When any rhymes are used, the trall technique is transferred into the text sequences….