Heilung, Anda Fardha ‘End of a Journey’ tour – Live in Kiel 08 July 2025

Heilung is one of those bands that everyone should see live at least once in their lives. If you’re into metal, tribal music, folk music, rock in general or not. If you love music, you must see them live. If you love history, go see them live. If you love the human kind and your own human nature, go see them live.  And run! – because the band announced a hiatus of at least one year, with their current form and show, or rather Ritual.

So I’ll start by highlighting the next and last shows for a long while: Villena, ES – Leyendas del Rock (06–09/08/2025), Hildesheim, DE – M’era Luna (09–10/08/2025), Cudrefin, CH – Rock the Lakes (15/08/2025), and the very last one: Rättvik, SE – Dalhalla (17/08/2025) – awesome venue btw!

That said,    w h a t    a n    e x p e r i e n c e!  (See the full gallery and experience the live Ritual here!)

It was the 2nd time we’ve see them live in Kiel. The first time they were basically starting, and it was already impressive. For both of us, quite into music, nature, mystic knowledge, history and specially northern european pre-medieval history, witnessing this form of the Ritual was a truly magical experience! Even if the band clearly is not anymore centering their message on scandinavian/germanic traditions (or re-imagined traditions), but also adding hints of other cultures worldwide — which I absolutely love! (Van writing this).

The complete Ritual seemed to me like a cycle, starting with the opening ceremony, as many shamanic and mystical rituals worldwide do, with a solemn walk around the stage to rhythmic drums and the respective “sahumerio” (in my native Spanish), meaning a bath of incense. In ancient ritualistic practices, this cleanses the energies around the people or a place. I do this myself at least 2 times a year in my own home, and I do feel always a lighter and enjoyable ambient afterwards, and white sage smells amazing! Now back to the show!

Once the incense opening ceremony is done, the music started opening with ‘In Maidjan’ to the delight of the audience. An audience which is also a joy to see, people of any race, belief, age, types of lives, from the metalhead to the cute grandma, from the viking clad to the corporate suit and tie, to people in their late 70’s to youngsters of around 10 maybe? All hypnotized, all enjoying in equal measures.

The ritual continued with a chant to Odin with ‘Alfadhirhaiti’. Then continued with the beautiful ‘Asja’ which in the band’s own words, is a shamanic blessing for the listener, to get the best out of themselves. The beautiful and powerful voice from Maria Franz truly shines in this song. It is so captivating that for moments I just stared at her, transfixed with my camera hanging limp in my hands. When ‘Urbani’ started it was a reminder of how the band mixes cultures and languages, as this song is sung in Latin, as a clear wink to the Roman advances in ancient Germania. The song is based on a song about the defeat of the gauls, as described by Roman historian Gaius Suetonius Tranquillus (Life of the Caesars). But on stage, Heilung adapted the soldiers march to their own troupe of warriors, and it is equally impressive to see.

Following with the already obligatory songs like ‘Tenet’ (based on the roman palindrome sator square)  and the transformative ‘Othan’ (a necessary journey through darkness all of us have to go through) which is one of my favorite songs and what a performance! Maria’s vocals were out of this world as well the amazing harmonies of all the singers. Then came the turn for the incredibly beautiful ‘Anoana’ (to my interpretation, a female nature’s warrior). From nature to the moon and truly ancient traditions, Heilung moved to ‘Nikkal’, the oldest song ever found (part of the Hurrian Hymns found in the ancient city of Urit, dating back to aprox. 1400 BC). Another moment when I was completely transfixed, truly magical!

Performing ‘Nikkal’, the oldest song ever found transcribed in the old city of Ugarit, a Hurrian Hymn to the goddess Nikkal.

And to end the Ritual, the band returned to the nordic and germanic traditions, closing with  ‘Galgaldr’, ‘Seidh’ and lastly ‘Hamrer Hippyer’ which is based on the “Merseburg charms”, only surviving written form of pre-Christian, Germanic pagan poetry (transcribed in a manuscript in the 10th Century). With the fast beaming of drums, the stage literally became a dancing party.

Everyone involved in the fenomenal Heilung Ritual was on stage jumping and dancing and letting the flow carry them away. The audience was as well jumping and dancing and crowd-surfing! It was both hypnotic and contagious. Then the closing ceremony, as well as the opening, marked by the incense cleaning of each member of the troupe, ending with the cleansing of the main vocalists, Annicke Shireen and Mira Ceti and the three band leaders, Maria, Christopher and Kai Uwe Faust. When the last drum hit synchronous with the last hit of the spear on the ground carried by Christopher Juul, in an explosion of light, it signaled the end.

See the full gallery and experience the live Ritual here!