In 2003, Einar "Kvitrafn" Selvik wiped off the corpse-like makeup he wore as drummer for black-metal group Gorgoroth and formed Wardruna, a powerful, dark, and melancholic contemporary interpretation of Viking culture. Thunderous frame drumming, incantatory vocals, droning fiddles, hair-raising horns, and atmospheric electronics stoked Wardruna's Runaljod trilogy of albums featuring centuries-old runic poetry. Selvik's pagan outlook informs "Solringen" (The Sun Ring), which affirms solar power with chanted major-key optimism, no less than dire viral funeral song "Helvegen" (The Path to Hell).