Gjallarhorn is one of Finland's most exciting young folk groups. Led by David Lillkvist, a long time student of Latin American and West African drumming, the band fuses the folk music of Finland with a global range of influences and instrumentation including the didgeridoo and Australian wood flute. The group, which takes its name from the mythological Nordic term for the forces of light used by Heimdall to fight Regnarok, also features the lead vocals and fiddling of Jenny Williams and the fiddle and mandola playing and vocals of Christopher Ohman. Releasing the hypnotic Ranarop: Call of the Sea Witch in 1998, the band staked their claim as a hypnotic force in Nordic folk revivalism. In 2000, the band came back with a more seasoned approach on Sjofn, a heady mix of traditional instruments, modern drone passages, and a complex mythological theme. Returning in 2002, the band furthered this approach and incorporated an experimental streak that refined the group's avant garde tendencies. ~ Craig Harris