"Rob wanted the world of The Northman to feel harsh and uncomfortable, and for everything to feel like it was caked in mud and dry blood, so it was crucial for the score to mirror that.”

Composers Robin Carolan (Tri-Angle Records) and Sebastian Gainsborough (Vessel) were given a task of epic proportions when director Rob Eggers (The VVitch, The Lighthouse) asked them to create the score for his ambitious and highly anticipated new film The Northman, releasing on April 22nd. They needed to make a score that both honored the immense research that had gone into the authenticity of this Viking era period piece and complemented the cinematic maximalism of the film for a modern audience. The artists stretched themselves to the depths of their creativity and the resulting album is a gorgeous, sonic tableaux that places the listener right in the center of the film.

While arranging the score the composers consulted musician and ethnographer Poul Høxbro for inspiration and insight into the history of Viking music. Having backgrounds in left field electronic music, Robin and Sebastian felt liberated by the constraint of using a small selection of musical tools for this piece. “Electronic music has almost limitless potential when it comes to making sounds and that’s obviously an incredible thing, but you can also go down the wormhole and get lost in it sometimes. There’s no risk of that happening when you only have a few primary instruments to draw upon.” Robin remarked.

Tracklist

01 Approaching Hrafnsey
02 The King
03 Entering the Temple
04 Last Teardrop
05 Blood Tree, Pt. 1
06 Strike, Brother
07 Escape
08 I Will Avenge You, Father
09 The Land of the Rus
10 A Burning Barn
11 Seeress
12 Raven’s Omen
13 Storm at Sea / Yggdrasill
14 Iceland
15 I Will Save You, Mother
16 Slave Work
17 Guðrún
18 Follow the Vixen’s Tail
19 He-Witch
20 Draugr
21 Mound Dweller
22 To the Games
23 Birch Woods
24 First of Many
25 Trollish Sorcery
26 Svið Night, Pt. 1
27 Svið Night, Pt. 2
28 I Am Your Death
29 Come Morning
30 I Am His Vengeance
31 Óðinn
32 Valkyrie
33 Vestrahorn
34 Hidden Valley
35 Blood Tree, Pt. 2
36 Blóð Inside / I Choose Both
37 A Maiden King
38 The Wolf Has Grown
39 The Gates of Hel / Slain by Iron
40 Hekla
41 Cut the Thread of Fate
42 Make Your Passage / Valhöll
43 Ættartré / End Credits