Heilung are back, and they came back with a ghost. The ritual collective just shared "Læknisgaldr," the first single from Sagas, a collection of recordings made with Ninja Theory for the video game Hellblade II: Senua's Saga. The album lands December 11, 2026 on Season of Mist, and the pre-order is open now. If you only know Heilung from festival clips of antlers, drums and throat singing, this release shows a side of the band the label itself calls more cinematic and environmental.
A song recorded with bones and breath
Heilung say the very first sound on "Læknisgaldr" was not made by anything from our reality. While playing with real human bones and breath in the studio, the band says, they managed to capture a ghost. The song is built as a healing ritual. It draws on an early medieval belief that language is tied to the condition of the body: name an affliction and it becomes defined, contained and open to healing. Every repetition of the percussive beat weakens it, until tribal chanting guides it away.
Throat singer Kai Uwe Faust connects that idea to how bodies shake off stress. In the video, warriors reach a feeling of total safety in a forest after battle and are guided into the trembling that releases built-up adrenaline. It was directed by Gornoss and filmed at Borre Vikingmarked in Borre National Park, Norway, and across Iceland, including Árdalur and Írárfoss. Heilung describe it as the second part of a larger story about trauma, which mirrors what Hellblade II is about.
What Sagas actually is
Core members Maria Franz, Kai Uwe Faust and Christopher Juul made these recordings for Ninja Theory's game, which follows Senua through 9th century Iceland. Before recording, the three spent ten days traveling the country's ice caves, rivers, waterfalls, beaches and volcanoes, and came home with far more material than the game could use. Heilung call Sagas an in-between release and its own branch of their musical universe, shaped very specifically by their work with Ninja Theory.
The official tracklist runs 11 songs: "Geiteseidh," "Slagt," "Læknisgaldr," "Orrustumaul," "Seidh," "Jøtnarhaiti," "Sverdhasøngurin," "Spjoutsyla," "Sonatorrek," "Opnun" and "Dauðimessa." Gamers will recognize "Seidh," which the band performed live at The Game Awards. "Slagt" is previously unheard, and the label pitches it as a prophecy of the coming apocalypse with the force of a volcano. Juul produced, engineered, mixed and mastered the record at LAVA Studio.
Formats worth chasing
The deluxe CD and vinyl editions add Ambient, eight extra soundscapes recorded to pull you deeper into the game's world. Season of Mist lists a CD deluxe digipak with a 28-page booklet, a 2CD mediabook with Ambient in a sewn hardcover book, single LP gatefolds in black, silver, transparent violet, bone white and three marbled colorways, plus two 3LP tri-gatefold sets that include Ambient on tie-dye or half gold vinyl. Check the official pre-order page or Heilung's Bandcamp for current pricing and which variants are still available.
Why it matters
Game soundtracks usually get treated as background. Heilung are treating this one as a real chapter, and they are not slowing down: the label says the band enters LAVA Studios this month to start their fourth full-length album. Sagas is the bridge. If you collect scores, start with our video game soundtracks on vinyl guide. If the Ambient disc is what pulls you in, our ambient starter guide has more, and our gifts for vinyl collectors will help that 3LP set live a long life.
