Heilung and Eivør Bring a Ritual of Community and Soul Restoration to Milan

It’s a fresh spring evening in Milan, Italy, and fans from all over the country are flocking to the Arcimboldi Theatre to witness the final ritual of Heilung’s Albion, Eiru Ok Erop Ferdhast 2025 tour — their 2025 tour through Europe, Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

The 2,400-capacity theatre is packed, with only a handful of empty seats. The crowd waits quietly for the show to begin when Eivør takes the stage. The Faroese enchantress delivers a set just over half an hour long — but it feels like a liturgy in its own right. I had seen her headline at the Montelago Celtic Festival last summer, but this performance felt different. It was more intense, and the audience far more receptive — perhaps because everyone had come to the Arcimboldi specifically for Heilung’s ritual, unlike the more mixed crowd at a festival.

Eivør’s music is difficult to define at first listen — her body of work resists being pinned to a single genre. Her sound blends heavy, tribal percussion and electronic textures with operatic vocals and raspy throat singing. It’s always striking to witness. Her stripped-back production on this tour placed the focus on her ethereal presence. The setlist for this final night of her two-year journey with Heilung included a mix of older tracks and newer material. The finale was especially powerful, with some of Heilung’s warriors joining her on stage for “Upp Úr Øskuni,” followed by an emotional farewell with “Falling Free.”

As soon as Eivør’s set ended, a black curtain bearing Heilung’s iconic snail-warrior logo dropped to conceal the stage as the crew prepared the scene. Heilung’s ritual is far more than a concert — it’s a sensory immersion that feels steeped in magic. The theatre filled with the scent of frankincense, sage, palo santo, and a custom blend of ritual herbs. Soft ambient sounds — birdsong and wind — played over the speakers, setting the tone.

When the curtain rose, the ritual began with Heilung’s Kai Uwe Faust and Chaka Schipper cleansing the space. The rest of the band and the warriors entered through the same ritual process. At this point, the ceremonial circle closed, and the intentions were set through their opening prayer — the only English words spoken all night:

“Remember that we all are brothers;
All people, beasts, trees and stone and wind;
We all descend from the one great being;
That was always there
Before people lived and named it
Before the first seed sprouted.”

Heilung, whose name means “healing” in German, has always embodied the idea of ceremonial restoration and spiritual connection. They explore a rediscovery of shared ancient roots — from the Stone and Bronze Ages to medieval Europe — and amplify this common history through music, performance, and community.

Following the opening ceremony, the ritual flowed into a performance of “In Maidjan,” their go-to opening piece, followed by “Alfadhirhaiti” and “Asja,” during which the warriors made their dramatic entrance. My personal highlight was the sequence of “Tenet,” “Norupo,” and “Othan.” “Tenet” is a fully palindromic piece, with each section performed both forwards and in reverse, and is based on the ancient Roman SATOR Square. “Norupo” draws from a well-known Norse rune poem, while “Othan” blends ancient protection chants with the words of Odin — a god of both war and poetry. This duality is powerfully expressed in the performance.

Toward the end of the ritual, Heilung performed “Seidh,” their contribution to the soundtrack of the award-winning video game Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, and “Hamrer Hippyer,” which typically signals the ritual’s conclusion. The latter draws inspiration from the traditional Inuit throat-singing of Greenland and Canada, where two singers alternate breath — one exhaling while the other inhales.

This final song got the audience on their feet, joining the dance as even the warriors descended from the stage and started dancing among the crowd. Just like the opening, the closing ceremony brought the ritual full circle in a joyful celebration, concluding with one last cleansing of the performers. In a light-hearted moment, Kai Faust attempted to toss the ritual branches into the crowd, as is tradition — but they fell just short, landing in the pit. Smiling, he decided to leave them there.

Heilung’s ritual is truly a must-witness event. Through sound, movement, and a touch of magic, every emotion was stirred in the room. As I stepped outside, I couldn’t help but notice people embracing each other before returning to their everyday lives.

If you missed Heilung on this tour, don’t despair. A few more rituals are scheduled across Europe in June and July: Maastricht (06/06), Mannheim (08/06), Lingen (14/06), Munich (01/07), Königstein (05/07), Kiel (08/07), Wrocław (10/07), and Saarbrücken (12/07), with support from The Hu. The final ritual of this cycle will take place at Dalhalla in Rättvik, Sweden on August 17, 2025, supported by Myrkur.

In line with Heilung’s ethos, for every ticket sold, the band donates €1 towards tree planting and reforestation efforts.